Third Genesis
by shanejayell
Summary: After the End, they must try to pick up the pieces. Shoujo-ai warning! *NOW DISCONTINUED* There is a LARGE rewrite coming, I'm leaving the old version up for now, however.
1. Zero

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Third Genesis: Prelude

Whatever happened at Tokyo-3 set off alarms all over Japan, which was funny because most people seemed unaware that Tokyo-3 even existed. It was like there had been a big mental blind-spot situated over Tokyo-3 and the surrounding area, causing everyone to simply be unaware of it. And it was a strange, selective unawareness, as government funding and resources had poured into Tokyo-3 over the years, even though no one seemed to know any details about it.

But a near-nuclear detonation changed all that. Alarms rang across the country as the explosion went off, and worse strange objects appeared in the sky. Government officials scrambled to respond as divisions of the JSSDF attacked without orders, mysterious flying mecha converged on the site and satelites observed strange energy bursts.

Only hours after the madness ended emergency response teams found a deserted city, mangled, shredded mass production Evangelions and a strange, unearthly lake of what was later described as 'LCL.' At the edge of the lake two teenagers had washed up, both at far extremes of health. The boy was unharmed but physically unresponsive, staring up at the sky blankly, while the girl was in a torn plugsuit, covered with wounds and somehow blind in one eye.

"Let me go!" Asuka roared as she punched the medical technician, sending him staggering backwards. A knee to the nuts sent a young man sprawling back, then with a bestial yell she charged the rest of them, eyes blazing.

Doctor Ami Mizuno dodged, the thirty something woman moving with surprising agility as she side-stepped the attack then karate chopped her across the neck, catching her as she slumped. "There," she said as she gently laid the girl down.

"How did you...?" Saki blinked in astonishment.

"A friend of mine does martial arts," Ami said as she looked the girl over. She carefully pried the one eye open and flashed a light into it, frowning. "No automatic responses," she noted, frowning. She waved over the interns, "Get them to the medical tents, we need to check her over once she's conscious."

A alarmed cry drew their attention to the lake as a figure stubled out of the ooze, bare-assed naked as he collapsed to the ground. The brown haired young man shuddered and moaned as he lay on the ground, medical staff rushing over to help him.

"Sir, don't move," Sakura Yamagishi said, the light brown haired nurse helping him roll onto his back, faintly shocked at the look of wide eyed horror in his gaze.

"Shigeru Aoba," he mumbled, "NERV serial number...."

"He's NERV?" Ami murmured, wondering what could have happened to inspire such terror in him. Putting a hand on his shoulder she gently asked, "What happened here?"

Aoba looked at her blankly a moment, then quietly murmured, "WE were attacked... military forces invaded... guns firing, no control, the center cannot hold."

"And then?" Sakura pressed.

"Rei," Aoba's mouth twisted in a rictus grin, "Rei. Rei. REI! REI! REII!"

Aoba began to thrash wildly, jerking and twisting as the staff scrambled to hold him down. "Someone trank him!" Ami yelped, pinning one arm as a nurse scrambled with a needle.

"Oh hell, here come more of them," Sakura sighed as more people began to emerge from the lake of mysterious goo.

No one, thankfully, was as traumatized as Aoba, in fact the emerging people had wildly different reactions. Misato Katsuragi seemed the most uneffected by the experience, borrowing some clothes and swiftly helping the teams taking care of the emerging people. Others were shell shocked, stunned, and in quite a few cases almost possessed of a... religious experience.

The lake seemed to 'shrink' as people emerged one by one, dwindling away as people pulled themselves out. People described the experience within the lake like a 'group mind' or 'oversoul,' as if all barriers between people had broken down and they were united as one. Some people had adapted to it well, others... not so much.

More than a week after the 'event' Misato looked down at the now calmly sleeping Aoba, her expression gently sad. "He was... a very independent person," she mused, "is that why he reacted so badly to this?"

"We've gotten some descriptions of what happened with others," Ami noted quietly, "they all described friends and loved ones appearing."

"I saw Kaji," Misato admitted, "so?"

"If I understood his description," Ami said, "he didn't have anyone close to him, so the Rei just... overwhelmed him, somehow."

Misato visibly winced. "Do you think he'll recover?" she asked gently, looking down at the man she had served beside so long.

"The more time that passes, the calmer he gets," Ami answered her evasively, "other than that, I do not know."

The two women left the medical tent, standing out in the bulldozed area near what was the LCL lake. Parts of Tokyo-3 were being brought back up and running by engineering teams and rebuilding was proceeding, helped in part by the ongoing mystery of what the hell happened. Researchers were combing through the Magi files and other sources, but figuring everything out was going to be a long term project.

"So it was all a hallucination?" Misato guessed as they looked out over the wreckage.

"We don't know," Ami admitted. "As best as we can determine, SEELE found or captured the Lilith entity, which in turn sought to free itself. It convinced people around it that Second Impact happened, as well as caused the 'angel attacks' to try and free itself."

"Then mix in all of SEELE and Gendo's plotting," Misato added wryly. She shook her head, "I suppose it doesn't matter what was real and what wasn't, right now. We still have the consequences to deal with."

What Misato was referring to was the arrival of military forces attempting to 'take charge' of the situation. Misato had quite thoroughly cowed them by sheer force of personality, but they were still trying to run things. They had taken one of the returnees into custody based on recovered files from the Magi, charging Ritsuko Akagi with murder.

"Have you decided how you're going to handle this?" Ami asked curiously.

"Going over their heads," Misato answered, smiling grimly.

Ami smiled wryly, "Does this relate to why you've been using a secure line to contact the United Nations?"

Misato just smirked.

As they talked Sakura came over, the nurse carrying a clipboard. "I got the list of returnees you wanted, Major," she said, handing over the paperwork then excusing herself.

Watching her at work Ami was struck by how powerful the force of personality Misato had. Whatever part of the experience that had broken poor Aoba seemed to have strengthened Misato, giving her a depth she apparently hadn't had before. She seemed to instantly know what to say and how to say it, but without the edge of being a obvious manipulator. It was fascinating, and Ami wished she could remain to observe more closely.

"I'm surprised how many people and families want to stay for the rebuild," Misato noted as she read through the list. She frowned occassionally too, then looked over at Ami, "Does anyone know why some injuries were healed and some not?"

"Mass, I think," Ami offered. "You and some others went into the LCL mostly intact, while others did not."

"That explains Toji," Misato sighed.

"I'm sorry to be leaving," Ami added quietly, "the medical teams are mostly pulling out, now that everyone is stabilized and the hospital in the city is back up and running."

"Thank you for your help," Misato shook her hand firmly as she added, "your teams have done marvels." Wryly she added, "Unlike those quacks at the hospital."

"Asuka?" Ami guessed, having heard of the difficulties the extremely traumatized girl was having.

"Can I ask you to consult with us later?" Misato asked hopefully. "You seem to have a real insight into all of this."

"I'll come when I can," Ami offered.

"That's all I can ask," Misato agreed, then excused herself to see to some other task.

Ami paused outside the tent as she took in the ruptured Geofront, the headquarters of NERV exposed to the sky and the city rising up from the rubble. This would be a rebirth for the city and it's people, and while she wouldn't be a part of it she still wanted to know what would happen next.

To be continued....

Notes: This is a first draft, and is shorter than I planned. I'll try to boost it up later, once I reread the earlier Third Genesis chapters. I'm currently debating working on a rewrite of the whole story, since my opinion on certain characters and plot bits have really changed since I first wrote this.


	2. Chapter One

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part One  
  
Ritsuko looked straight ahead, trying not to look up at those who were going to be passing judgment on her for her actions. The head of the tribunal cleared his throat, "Ritsuko Akagi, you have chosen to plead guilty for the attempted murder of Gendo Ikari."  
  
There was a meaningful pause, and Ritsuko realized that they expected her to say something. "Yes, sir," the blonde haired woman answered him simply. She really didn't think there was much else left for her to say.  
  
Several men and women on the five person board clearly expected her to say more, however. They looked down at her with expressions ranging from a bit of awe at her guts to complete and utter disbelief. The head of the tribunal pushed his glasses up on his face uncomfortably before bending to carefully review his notes.  
  
"Normally," the older man said reluctantly, "you would expect to face a punishment of life imprisonment for this charge, and in a way you will."  
  
Ritsuko looked a bit more attentive upon hearing that, sensing that something unexpected might just be in the offing. 'Maybe there's some new, creative execution they want to test on me?' she thought to herself whimsically.  
  
He took his glasses off, and it was obvious he didn't much like what he was going to have to say, "Ritsuko Akagi, you are remanded to the custody of the new commander of Nerv, to be held there under that individual's supervision as an intellectual asset."  
  
'What the.." Ritsuko thought as she was quickly hustled out of the court room. Not long after she found herself waiting out by the front of the building with an military police officer, her hands cuffed behind her back.  
  
The jeep barreled around the corner, nearly clipping the terrified officer and skided to a stop. Misato Kisaragi waved cheerfully, "Sorry to keep you waiting."  
  
"Misato," Ritsuko blinked.  
  
"Hey," the dark haired woman looked at the officer over her sunglasses, "what's she doing in cuffs? Get them off her."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," the officer saluted before quickly uncuffing Ritsuko.  
  
"I'll take it from here," Misato gave the man an airy wave. She looked over at Ritsuko and simply said, "Get in."  
  
A few minutes later the battered jeep was burning rubber across the blacktop, exactly where Ritsuko didn't know. She looked over at Misato and asked tentatively, "Are you taking me to see the new commander of Nerv?"  
  
"You're looking at her," Misato grinned.  
  
"What?" Ritsuko blurted out in surprise.  
  
"I didn't want the job," Misato smiled at her wryly, "but the United Nations wanted to clear out everyone who was even remotely involved with Gendo's dirty dealings."  
  
"Which doesn't leave much of the higher ups," Ritsuko admitted. She looked over at Misato's collar, "You're still a major?"  
  
"For now," Misato shrugged. Metalic towers soon rose in the distance, battle scarred but still mostly intact. "Welcome to Tokyo-3, the temporary headquarters for Nerv," she shrugged.  
  
Misato got out first, wincing slightly as she moved a bit too quickly. 'She was shot, too,' Ritsuko remembered. "You all right?" she asked.  
  
"I'll live," Misato shrugged, leading her into one of the buildings. They entered an elevator, rose up a few levels, then walked down a hallway until they reached an unmarked office. "My humble abode," Misato shrugged as she waved Ritsuko in ahead of her.  
  
Suprisingly, along with the typical big desk and a few uncomfortable chairs, Ritsuko saw that there was a couch along one wall. Misato on one end of the couch and Ritsuko sat on the other, sighing in relief as she finally relaxed a bit.  
  
"What's been going on?" Ritsuko asked. "I've heard the most outlandish things, even being in the hospital and stockade," she added.  
  
"I'm still figuring things out myself," Misato sighed. "Do you remember the Sailor Senshi?" she asked her.  
  
Ritsuko blinked, then her eyes widened. "Yes," she murmured softly.  
  
"But not until I mentioned them, right?" Misato smiled wryly.  
  
Ritsuko nodded, her eyes wide. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and it was clear that she was remembering other things, as well. "How is this possible?" she murmured.  
  
"Adam," Misato said, refering to the alien being that had been Gendo Ikari's captive, "at least, that's the best guess anyone has."  
  
Ritsuko sat up to look at Misato to see if she was joking. She wasn't. "But why would he?" she started to say.  
  
"The First Impact, the rising seas, the destruction of Tokyo," Misato said, "all illusions or misdirections by Adam. Or his taking credit for a natural event, like the seas rising due to global warming. All starting, roughly, after Gendo and his boys captured him."  
  
Ritsuko nodded thoughtfully, "Adam wanted to convince Gendo that holding him was a bad idea, so the disasters."  
  
"But Gendo didn't buy it," Misato sighed, "or he just didn't care. So Adam called his... sons? Brothers? Family, anyway, to try to bust him out."  
  
"And it selectively messed with our memories so that we wouldn't go looking for the Senshi," Ritsuko muttered, "and maybe stumble onto the fact that Tokyo wasn't destroyed." She frowned, "But why didn't anyone in Tokyo try to help?"  
  
"More illusion," Misato answered, "to them, life was continuing on normally. They never knew anything was going on."  
  
Ritsuko nodded, laying back and closing her eyes. "I'm going to need some time," she admitted quietly, "to take this all in."  
  
Misato surprised her by saying, "Good," and then she smiled slightly, "because we have a few other problems to deal with, too."  
  
Ritsuko opened one eye to look at Misato, "What problems?"  
  
"Well, for one thing NERV, which is basically the two of us, a few other officers plus what's left of the old support teams, has been asked to prepare plans to protect the Earth in case of another alien attach," Misato said softly, dryly adding that, "They've just assumed that we will be making up the first line of defense."  
  
"And the other thing?" Ritsuko asked faintly.  
  
"Do you remember how Gendo rammed through the resolution founding NERV in the United Nations?" Misato asked her. Ritsuko nodded, so Misato continued, "It seems that he provided the basic tech for creating EVAs in exchange for the votes he needed. So now we have several unauthorized EVAs running around."  
  
Ritsuko swore softly.  
  
"My thoughts exactly," Misato nodded.  
  
Ritsuko sat forward, reaching up and rubbing at her eyes tiredly. "So what assets do we have to work with?" she asked.  
  
"EVA 01 is still missing in action and EVA 00 and 02 are under repair right now, though you're help on that would be greatly appreciated," Misato smiled wryly.  
  
"I take it things are a bit disorganized?" Ritsuko asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Misato nodded. "Asuka is recovering in hospital, though it's starting to look like she may loose the function in her one eye."  
  
"I thought it was healing nicely?" Ritsuko frowned.  
  
"It should have," Misato sighed before adding, "The doctors think it's in part due to the feedback from her EVA being dismembered."  
  
Ritsuko winced. "What about Shinji?" she asked.  
  
"He's in a coma," Misato said softly, her eyes flickering with a bit of guilt, "Whatever he experienced in the end was too much for him to handle, at least that's what the psychiatrists seem to think. There's nothing physically wrong with him, he just won't wake up."  
  
"So we're down to one pilot," Ritsuko frowned.  
  
"Not exactly," Misato said. Ritsuko looked up at her curiously and she said, "We were searching a series of unused storage rooms and found a Rei Ayanami."  
  
To Be Continued... 


	3. Chapter Two

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Two  
  
The phone rang shrilly once, then rang again. A hand came out from under the covers and reached out blindly. A emply glass fell to the floor, a book soon joined it but finally, the receiver was grabbed and pulled sluggishly under the covers.  
  
"Yes?" the sleepy voice asked. There was a moment's pause, then "Yes, this is Maya Ibiki. Yes, this is she."  
  
There was a extended period of silence, and a sleepy mind slowly began to work. Suddenly Maya sat right up in her bed, her brown eyes wide and her short black hair sticking up wildly as the sheets puddled around her waist.  
  
"Misato?" Maya blurted out.  
  
Misato's clearly amused voice came through loud and clear, "I'm glad to hear that you're awake at last."  
  
"How can I help you?" Maya squeaked nervously.  
  
Misato quietly said, "I hope you'll come back to work. NERV has been reactivated, and we could use your help."  
  
"I resigned," Maya reminded her, "after everything that happened with sempai." She thought of Ritsuko and felt a burst of pain that she quickly tried to bury.  
  
"I know," Misato admitted. She paused for a few seconds, and Maya wondered what was happening on the other end of the line. "I was just thinking that Ritsuko could really use your help," Misato said casually.  
  
"She's there?" Maya gasped softly.  
  
"I couldn't get the charges against her dismissed," and Misato sounded quite amused as she said, "but for her punishment I was able to get her assigned as a scientific resource here at NERV." There was a beat of silence, "Things are pretty disorganized here right now. So, would you be interested in rejoining NERV?"  
  
Maya didn't even have to think about it, "I'll be there. When do you need me?"  
  
"As soon as possible," a relieved Misato answered. "Ritsuko will be getting here at Tokyo-3 tomorrow, can you make it here by then?" she asked.  
  
"I'll be there," Maya answered her firmly. She found out which building to go to and was offered an apartment in the city before she gently lay the phone back in to its cradle.  
  
Maya looked around her Tokyo apartment, already thinking of the details she needed to attend to. First, she called her landlord, explaining that she had to move out immediately. Then, packing her clothes.  
  
Most of her items she just bundled up as small as she could and packed into the cases, then she reached the bottom drawer of her dresser. She pulled it open and almost reverently pulled out the plastic wrapped bundle that lay there.  
  
It unfolded easily, her NERV uniform. Maya hadn't been sure why she had saved it so carefully when she had resigned, but now she knew. She let herself think the thoughts that she had been fighting back since Misato called, 'I get to see Ritsuko again!'  
  
Early the next morning, and Maya was ready to go. She called up a few friends she had made in Tokyo, put the items she couldn't pack up into storage, and prepared to leave. She had come to Tokyo because she wanted to get away from Tokyo-2 and it's sister city Tokyo-3, and everything that they represented to her. She wanted a normal life, or as normal as she could get.  
  
The train was easy to catch, the first taking her from Tokyo to Tokyo- 2. It was a popular trip, people from the city wanting to see the 'city of the future' that was so nearby. Maya looked out at the buildings running by, and let herself think.  
  
Maya remembered some of what happened in the end, at least she thought she did. The army had invaded NERV, and she had crouched down behind a control panel, waiting for rescue. Or if she was honest with herself, waiting to die. Then... it happened.  
  
The gunfire, the weapons discharges, they all slowed, then finally stopped. She flowed through the ceiling at her, smiling warmly. Ritsuko's ghost.  
  
'But she's alive, isn't she?' a frowning Maya thought to herself. 'So what was it that I saw?' she wondered. The memories got awfully blurry after that, and she eventually found herself back where she started from, crouched down in the NERV control center as someone announced over the communication system that the fighting was all over.  
  
The next few days were pure chaos. Misato in the hospital, near death. Ritsuko being held in a military infirmary, pending her trial for the attempted murder of Gendo Ikari. Rei gone, Shinji in a coma, all the EVA's in ruins or missing.  
  
Maya had hit her limit, and tendered her resignation to her immediate superior. She left NERV, intending never to return.  
  
'So much for that idea,' Maya thought to herself wryly.  
  
Arriving at Tokyo-2, Maya made a little detour before boarding her next train. She changed in the ladies bathroom, pulling on that familiar, comfortable uniform once again. She felt curious glances as she went to the military train, curiosity and a bit of respect. When she showed her NERV pass to the officer at the train, he threw her a instant salute.  
  
'What on Earth is going on?' Maya wondered.  
  
She settled into a seat beside another young woman, a dark haired woman who looked at her wide eyed. "Are you really a NERV officer?" she gushed.  
  
Maya blinked in surprise, "Well, yes..."  
  
The woman actually squealed with happiness. "Where you there for the battle for NERV headquarters?" she asked eagerly.  
  
"Yes," Maya answered her cautiously.  
  
"What was it like?" the girl looked at her breathlessly.  
  
"Chaotic," Maya blinked. "Who are you?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Oh," the girl blushed, "my name is Nako." Maya looked at the girl push her large, round glasses up higher on her nose and dearly hoped that this trip was going to be much faster than she thought it usually was.  
  
Maya left the train, feeling a bit guilty that her new friend had to continue onward. She looked around to get her bearings, and then made her way through the high tech city.  
  
"Fifth floor," Maya murmured, checking her hastily scribbled directions as she exited the elevator on the correct level, "office 5-C." She went a short way down the hall, finding a unmarked office door. The one on the left said, '5-B', the one on the right said, '5-D.'  
  
'This must be the place,' Maya thought, putting her hand on the door. It opened up under her touch, and she heard a familiar voice.  
  
"... found a Rei Ayanami," Misato finished.  
  
There was a short pause, and Maya heard Ritsuko say, "A Rei Ayanami? You mean another clone?"  
  
Maya drew her hand back, knocking loudly on the doorway.  
  
"Come in," Misato called out.  
  
Maya pushed the door open and moved to stand in front of Misato, "Maya Ibiki, reporting for duty, sir." She paused, "Or ma'am, whichever you'd prefer." Ritsuko sat up almost as soon as she saw her, and Maya had to fight a smile.  
  
"Just Misato," the dark haired woman smiled wryly, "I'm not too into the military style."  
  
"Maya," and Ritsuko smiled, "it's good to see you." The blonde pushed her hair back nervously, revealing how pale she was.  
  
'I forgot, it hasn't been that long since she got out of the hospital,' Maya thought. Before she could stop herself she asked, "Have you been getting enough rest, sempai?"  
  
Ritsuko blushed, looking down as she muttered, "Don't start mother henning me, now."  
  
Misato shifted on the couch, wincing a bit as she grabbed her ribs. "I bet we could both use some of that, actually," she admitted.  
  
Maya smiled at Misato, silently mouthing 'Thank you.'  
  
Misato smiled back, "Why don't the two of you take the rest of the day off, get settled in?"  
  
"But..." Ritsuko started.  
  
Misato smiled impishly before adding, "It'll give the two of you a chance to catch up with each other, too."  
  
To Be Continued... 


	4. Chapter Three

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Three  
  
A visibly tired Misato Kisaragi used her keycard to open up the door to her new apartment, and had to bend over quickly to stop the penguin from escaping down the hallway. "Hey, Pen-pen, I'm home," she murmured.  
  
Misato looked around her, shaking her head as she thought about how pristine the place had been when she first moved in a week ago. Now boxes were scattered about, take-out containers littered every available surface, and beer cans were scattered around artistically.  
  
"Well, at least the place finally looks like home," she laughed to Pen-pen, who was looking up at her expectantly. She opened up a food pack for him first, then she started to decide on what she'd have for dinner herself. Deciding take-out was too much trouble, she got a frozen dinner out and put it in the microwave.  
  
Sitting down and waiting for the microwave to perform it's magic, Misato let herself begin to process everything that had happened that day. Ritsuko's return had been a godsend to her, actually. Having the clearly competent blonde haired scientist back to handle the technical end of things would take a incredible load off her own shoulders. Leaving Misato with just the military and politicians to deal with, something she was pretty good at.  
  
'Not to mention Ritsuko doesn't take any garbage from me,' Misato thought. She grinned impishly, 'And what's Ritsuko without her side-kick, Maya?"  
  
Having Maya Ibiki around was almost as much of a relief to Misato as Ritsuko. The young lady had been in the control room throughout the entire Angels crisis, and had seen a lot of stuff go down. She had developed into a quite capable young woman, and once Misato got that promotion for her rammed through she'd be an even greater help.  
  
Misato got up to collect her tray of food, taking a short detour by the fridge to collect a can of her favorite beer. "Ah, the drink of the gods," she sighed to herself happily, taking a long drink. She then dug into her meal vigorously, alternating mouthfuls of food with slurps of her beer. Finishing, she pushed the tray away with a soft sigh.  
  
'They're so cute together, too,' Misato thought, remembering how Maya had gently helped Ritsuko out of Misato's office earlier that day. 'Maya's got such a crush on Ritsuko, but she doesn't notice,' Misato thought, 'or she doesn't choose to notice.'  
  
But thinking of Maya brought to mind another dark haired figure, one she wasn't sure she wanted to think about. Misato closed her eyes, knowing that the pain she felt had nothing to do with her wounds. 'Shinji,' she thought bleakly.  
  
The boy had been a total wreck, when the army launched it's surprise attack on NERV. Shinji had just been forced to kill a friend, compelled by an override of his EVA that had left him trapped in the very machine that was doing the killing. Misato had dragged him to his EVA, and in a move that was still giving her cold sweats of guilt when she thought about it, all but bribed him with her body to get him in to the EVA.  
  
'I thought I was helping save his life,' Misato thought, remembering the serious gunshot wounds she had received in the battle, 'thought that I was protecting him.' It was only later on that she found out that things had gone totally bad and crazy outside, and that poor Shinji had been caught up right in the middle of it.  
  
No one knew quite what happened out there to Shinji, honestly. Any satellite photos that were recovered of the events were confusing, to say the least. All that was really known was that he and Asuka had been found together unconscious, Rei Ayanami and the EVA 01 were both gone, and that Shinji wouldn't wake up.  
  
When Shinji slept the first few days away, it was just assumed that exhaustion had taken it's toll, but once Asuka awoke up and he didn't, they began to worry. Physically, the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him, and the psychologists could only guess that the built up stress had been too much for the boy.  
  
'And then there's Asuka,' Misato thought to herself grimly. The mass production EVAs had destroyed the EVA 02, nearly totally dismembering it, leaving the girl badly traumatized. 'And we get to go see her tomorrow, and try to talk her into climbing into an EVA once again,' she sighed.  
  
"I wonder if I could just stay in bed all day tomorrow?" she asked Pen-pen, who decided to just ignore her.  
  
Misato looked over at the fridge, strongly considering pulling out a few cans of beer, enough to dull the pain of her body. 'And maybe my conscience?' she thought. With a shake of her head she bypassed the beer, heading for her bedroom and settled down for a fitful night's sleep.  
  
The next morning Misato met Ritsuko and Maya outside of the building housing her office and just had to sigh. 'They're showing the same body language from yesterday,' she thought irritably, 'I gave them a half day alone together, and nothing happened? Give me a break.'  
  
"Is something wrong?" Ritsuko asked curiously.  
  
"Never mind," Misato sighed, leading them over to the waiting jeep. "Maya, you get to drive," she ordered.  
  
"Sure," Maya smiled, climbing into the driver's seat. Before anyone else could take their seats she said, "Sempai, would you like to ride up front?"  
  
'Way to go, Maya,' Misato had to smile as she climbed into the back seat, taking the decision out of Ritsuko's hands.  
  
"Right," Ritsuko blinked, a bit of a flush to her cheeks. She looked back at Misato, "So where are we headed?"  
  
"The city hospital," Misato sighs softly. She looked at Maya, "You know where it is?"  
  
Instead of answering her question directly, Maya started up the jeep. Taking the shortest, most efficient route through the streets of Tokyo-3 she had them there in only a few minutes. "You had to ask?" Maya smiled. As they were getting out she quietly added, "I memorized the city map earlier, just in case."  
  
They showed their ID at the front desk, though it was interesting to note they were all recognized instantly. 'The last defenders of NERV,' Misato had heard someone talk about them and that last stand, and had nearly hit him. It hadn't been heroic, it was mad, chaotic and bloody, people who should have been on the same side trying to kill each other. But everyone who had been there had acquired a certain legend around them, and Misato wasn't above using it if needed.  
  
"Asuka's upstairs," Misato said, leading them over to the elevators.  
  
They walked in together, and Misato pressed the key for the top floor. Not having heard Misato's speech earlier Maya asked, "How is she?"  
  
"Physically, she's recovering," Misato answered Maya quietly, deciding not to mention Asuka's mental condition. They reached their floor, striding down a long hallway to a hospital door, which Misato knocked on firmly.  
  
"Go away," A familiar voice cried out in reply.  
  
"It's Misato," she called back in return.  
  
A moment's silence, then Asuka said, "Come in."  
  
It was an odd moment, looking at the bandaged woman standing by the window. White cloth wrapped her arms, running across her head, she looked almost eerily like Rei Ayanami had. But then she turned, her red hair becoming more visible, and the illusion was shattered.  
  
"Good morning," Ritsuko put her hands in her lab coat pockets nervously. Maya hesitated behind her, not quite sure what to say.  
  
Misato made sure to keep a bit of distance as she said, "Are you going to take another shot at me?" She reached up to her cheek, and a nearly faded bruise that was there.  
  
"Not this morning," Asuka smiled faintly, looking out at them through her right eye. The left was covered up by a simple bandage, concealing the sightless eye beneath it.  
  
Misato met her gaze steadily, looking into her eye to try to read what she was feeling. Not an easy task, considering Asuka's anger and intensity. "Try not to pound on any of the doctors," she murmured, "they're just doing their jobs."  
  
"If they try to tie me down to a bed again," and Asuka caressed her bandaged arms, "they'll just get what they deserve."  
  
Misato, Ritsuko and Maya stood there awkwardly. Misato wanted to say something, to try to get started on what they had to do, but she couldn't seem to manage it. All she could do was think, 'Do I really want to put her through this again?'  
  
"I'll pilot the EVA for you," Asuka said as she turned back towards the window.  
  
There was an extended moment of dead silence. Misato finally managed, "What?"  
  
There was an impish little smile on her face as Asuka looked back at the three of them, "I said, I'll pilot the EVA for you."  
  
"Are you sure?" Ritsuko asked her quietly.  
  
"It's what I do," Asuka murmured, "what I'm good at. I've heard about Shinji, so it's not like we have a lot of options, either."  
  
"We can find another pilot if we have to," Misato offered quietly as she walked to Asuka's side, "I'm not going to let anyone force you into the pilot's seat."  
  
Asuka looked up at her gratefully as Misato put her hand on the red head's shoulder. "It's not that I'm not scared," Asuka murmured, "but I'm sure that I can do this."  
  
Misato nodded slightly, "All right." With a slight smile, "It's good to have our ace pilot back with us again."  
  
Asuka looked around the sterile hospital room in clear distaste, "Now could I please get out of here?"  
  
Ritsuko picked up Asuka's chart, "You're just under observation. I think we can get you out of here without too much trouble."  
  
"I'll go get you some clothes," Maya offered.  
  
"See if you can get me an eyepatch, too," Asuka called out after her. She turned back to Misato, already looking more self confident, "Where to next?"  
  
Misato tried not to grin, "We're going to go see Rei Ayanami next."  
  
There was a moment of dead silence, as Asuka looked at her in surprise. "What?" she finally managed to get out. 


	5. Chapter Four

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Four  
  
'It's strange, how peaceful it looks,' the red haired woman thought to herself dreamily. Her lips twisted in a bitter little smile, 'Almost like it hadn't happened at all.' Asuka heard the firm knock on the hospital door, disturbing her thoughts as she was looked out at Tokyo-3.  
  
Irritated Asuka called back at whoever it was, "Go away!"  
  
"It's Misato," she heard her answer.  
  
Asuka blew out a breath, then quietly said, "Come in."  
  
They came in the room together, Misato, Ritsuko and Maya, and Asuka was reminded of other times she had seen the three of them together like this. But it was different now, her arms wrapped in bandages as she looked out at them through only her right eye.  
  
"Good morning," Ritsuko said as she put her hands in her lab coat's pockets nervously, and Asuka had to fight back a smile. Standing behind her Maya hesitated, not quite sure what to say.  
  
'They do look good together,' Asuka noted a bit sadly as she looked over at the blonde and dark haired officers.  
  
Asuka noticed that Misato made sure to keep a bit of distance between the two of them as she asked, "Are you going to take another shot at me?" Misato reached up to her cheek, and touched a nearly faded bruise that was there.  
  
"Not this morning," Asuka smiled back at her.  
  
A little smile in return. "Try not to pound on any of the doctors," Misato murmured, "they're just doing their jobs."  
  
Asuka bared her white teeth, fighting back a sudden surge of anger at that comment. "If they try to tie me down to a bed again," she said dangerously, unconsciously rubbing at her bandaged arms, "they'll just get what they deserve."  
  
Asuka watched Misato, Ritsuko and Maya standing there awkwardly. They looked at each other, and for a moment she almost wanted to laugh. It was so obvious what the wanted to do, why they were here. Why not get on with it?  
  
"I'll pilot the EVA for you," Asuka finally decided to answer the unspoken question as she turned back towards the window and the view of the city.  
  
Asuka heard an extended moment of dead silence right behind her. After a few seconds Misato finally managed, "What?"  
  
Asuka actually could feel herself smiling again as she looked back at the three of them, "I said, I'll pilot the EVA for you."  
  
"Are you sure?" Ritsuko asked her quietly.  
  
Asuka smiled at the blonde scientist. "It's what I do," she murmured, "what I'm good at. I've heard about Shinji, so it's not like we have a lot of options, either."  
  
"We can find another pilot if we have to," Asuka was almost surprised to hear Misato quietly offer as she walked to her side. Her voice was almost caring as she continued, "I'm not going to let anyone force you into the pilot's seat."  
  
Asuka looked up at her gratefully as she felt Misato put her hand her shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's not that I'm not scared," she murmured to Misato, feeling that knot of fear in her gut, "but I'm sure that I can do this."  
  
Asuka closed her eyes and seemed to feel Misato nod as she said, "All right." A little pause, "It's good to have our ace pilot back with us again."  
  
Asuka looked around the sterile hospital room and couldn't hide her distaste, "Now could I please get out of here?"  
  
Ritsuko picked up Asuka's chart and studied it before saying, "You're just being kept under observation. I think we can get you out of here without too much trouble."  
  
"I'll go get you some clothes," Maya quickly offered.  
  
Asuka called out after her, "See if you can get me an eye-patch, too." She turned back to Misato and already felt a bit more self confident as she asked, "Where to next?"  
  
Misato seemed to be trying not to grin as she answered seriously, "Well, we're going to go see Rei Ayanami."  
  
Asuka looked at her in surprise for a moment while she tried to take that in. "What?" she finally managed to ask.  
  
Ritsuko gave Misato a scolding glance, "Would you please stop teasing us with her? You've been doing it for days."  
  
"Sorry," but Misato didn't look very repentant. She pushed her hand through her dark hair, "It's easier to show you than try to explain."  
  
Maya, a mistress of good timing, came in just then carrying a folded uniform shirt and pants, the black eye-patch laying on top. "I hope these are the right size," she smiled tentatively at Asuka.  
  
"Thanks," Asuka smiled back at her as she took the pile of clothes. The other women stood around for a moment, and Asuka gave them a pointed look.  
  
"Oh, right," Ritsuko blinked, and herded the other two out of the room to give Asuka some privacy to change.  
  
Asuka smiled slightly, striping off the skimpy hospital gown first. The bandages she quickly unraveled into a messy pile at her feet, and she paused to trace those thin pale red lines left by the surgery with her fingers. She smiled slightly as she pulled the standard NERV uniform on, feeluing a bit of relief that it wasn't a plug suit. She wasn't quite up to wearing one of those just yet. The eyepatch was a bit akward as she tried to get it settled over her left eye, but she managed. Socks and shoes on, and she was ready to go.  
  
"Much better," Asuka looked at her reflection in the mirror with satisfaction, tugging the bottom on the shirt to make sure it was straight. She strode out into the hallway, "Let's go."  
  
Misato gestured to Asuka to walk beside her as they strode down the hallway, Ritsuko and Maya following behind them. Misato gave her a tentative glance as they filed into the elevator, "Would you like your old room back?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Asuka answered her quietly.  
  
"I've got an empty room in my new place," Misato said quietly as she pressed a floor number, "if you want to take it."  
  
"Yeah, I'd like that," Asuka smiled back. She paused to ask teasingly, "Are you as much of a slob as you used to be?"  
  
"Pretty much," Misato answered as the elevator stopped, the doors sliding open.  
  
"I was hoping being promoted would change that," Asuka noted, "guess not."  
  
Ritsuko snicked softly from behind them, and Misato shot her a glare. The floor was obviously devoted more to medical science, the walls unpainted. There were sounds ahead of them, growing louder as they walked on.  
  
"So the Rei we're going to see is another clone?" Maya asked tentatively.  
  
"To be honest, we're not sure," Misato admitted. She looked at Ritsuko, "That's one reason I wanted you back here, to examine her." They reached a set of large double doors, and she pushed one open before nodding to the others, "Go on in."  
  
A group of scientists were clustered around a large metal tube, and once Misato cleared her throat loudly they shifted aside so that they could see what floated within. Asuka had been expecting to see the Rei Ayanami she had known, but the woman who floated there wasn't quite the same.  
  
Some of the differences were quite obvious, the others more subtle. The hair was a much darker shade of blue, looking a bit more normal. Asuka blushed faintly, noticing the better developed body. Tearing herself away from that detail she saw the vibrant skin tone, the pink to her cheeks. Overall she looked healthy, a word Asuka wouldn't have ever used to describe the old Rei.  
  
Pacing around the collumn was a man who looked like the living stereotype of the typical mad scientist. His black hair stood on end, the white lab coat had a few coffee stains, his eyes were blood shot and his face was haggard.  
  
Misato frowned at him worriedly, "Dr. Stingray, how long have you been here?"  
  
Dr. Stingray shrugged, "I don't know. What time is it?" Misato told him, and his eyebrow went up, "Remarkable. All right, what day is it?"  
  
"Go home, get some rest," Misato pushed him bodily towards the doors. He tried to protest and she added, "I'll make it an order if I have to."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Dr, Stingray shuffled off with a sigh.  
  
"Is that his real name?" Maya asked Ritsuko softly.  
  
"Yes, poor guy," Ritsuko answered absent mindedly, her gaze focused on Rei. Quietly she asked Misato, "You said that she was found in a storage chamber. Are there any records of when she was placed there?"  
  
"The room was sealed, apparently shortly after Tokyo-3 was constructed," Misato answered her quietly. "Other than that," she shrugged.  
  
"What does the scan data say?" Ritsuko asked, fully in her scientist mode.  
  
"It's fully shielded," another scientist volunteered softly, "the scans couldn't get through."  
  
"So the only way we may be able to find out anything about her," Asuka said softly as she looked at the floating girl, "is to open it up?"  
  
"Looks like it," Misato agreed softly.  
  
To be continued... 


	6. Chapter Five

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Five  
  
She didn't know exactly what it was, that woke her up from her deep sleep. Something had disturbed her, some unidentified sound, or maybe a familiar presence. Her eyes gradually opened up, first observing her surroundings, the tank full of liquid that she floated in, then looking outward to those who were gathered outside.  
  
A tall, blonde haired woman in a lab coat stood beside a shorter, boyish looking dark haired girl in gray military garb. Not too far away from them, a dark haired woman in a bright red jacket stood alone watching other two. Finally, a much younger woman looked over at the tank itself, standing out with her shocking mane of bright red hair. Her two eyes met the girl's one, and she saw the redhead's eye widen in surprise.  
  
"She's awake," the redhead blurted out.  
  
The blonde turned, looking first at the redhead then her before trailing of in surprise, "Asuka, she can't be..."  
  
'Asuka,' she thought, feeling some deep satisfaction rising within her, at being able to name the oddly familiar red haired girl at last.  
  
The dark haired older woman grabbed the blonde's arm and asked, "Ritsuko, will she be all right in there?"  
  
"She should be, Misato," Ritsuko looked at Rei thoughtfully, "it's the same LCL fluid we used in the entry plugs to protect the pilots."  
  
It was strange, hearing those three names spoken aloud. She recognized them all, somehow, even though she knew that she had never seen them before today. She looked over at the smaller girl, trying to place her as well. There was a name on the tip of her tongue, but it slipped out of her mental grasp like water.  
  
"Maya," Ritsuko turned to the shorter girl, "Go grab a uniform in her size."  
  
"Right, Sempai," and Maya bolted.  
  
"You aren't seriously considering letting her out of there," a frowning Misato said, sounding quite irritable.  
  
The girl in the tube was a little surprised to hear Asuka speak up for her angrily, "Well, we can't just leave her in there."  
  
"She's right," Ritsuko said, sounding quite gentle.  
  
She saw Misato looking at her, and she met the dark haired woman's gaze calmly. Misato was the first one to turn away, sighing, "I guess you're right."  
  
"Start pumping the fluid out," Ritsuko ordered the other scientists, "and then replace it with a standard oxygen blend."  
  
She felt a moment of panic, as her environment around her began to change, but she quelled it forcefully. She tasted the air, smelling the tang of medicine and ozone in it, the scent of a science lab at work. She breathed deep, and it strangely felt like home.  
  
In only a few moments she stood dry in the middle of the sealed tank. Ritsuko herself then stepped forward, grasping the catches set on the side of the tank. "Opening," she unsnapped them loudly one at a time, "now."  
  
The blue haired girl stepped carefully out of the tank into the outside world, taking a breath of the air out there. She took another step but stumbled, suddenly falling, when strong arms grasped her, preventing any injury.  
  
'Asuka,' she thought dazedly, looking up into the eye not covered by the black eye-patch.  
  
"Who are you?" Asuka asked her softly.  
  
She paused, and the name came to her much easier than any of the other ones had. "Rei," she murmured softly, "Rei Ayanami."  
  
Maya arrived a few moments later, carrying another NERV uniform. "Here you go," she handed the pile of clothes to her.  
  
"Thank you," Rei found herself saying softly before she began to pull the uniform on over her naked body. It felt a little strange, she noticed, because she was expecting it to be more skin-tight. 'Plug suit' she thought, unsure of what that name referred to.  
  
"Rei," Misato asked her quietly, "what do you remember?"  
  
Sitting on a bench Rei looked up to meet her dark eyes, knowing that the question was very important to the woman. "Nothing," she said softly. At Misato's confused look Rei quietly explained, "I know who you and the others are, I know that I'm in Tokyo-3, but I don't know how or why I know that. The knowledge is just... there."  
  
Misato nodded thoughtfully, "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome," Rei responded to her automatically.  
  
Rei looked around, noticing that Ritsuko was leaning over a console, one that looked like it was tied into the medical monitoring devices. She and several other scientists were talking together quite excitably, but Rei could only hear fragments of their conversation: "the bio-scans read human norms..." "if she has any of ADAM's DNA, it's recessive.." "far less anemic than was previously recorded..." "certainly looks much more healthy.."  
  
A figure settled down beside her, and Rei turned to look at Asuka. The redhead looked at her thoughtfully, "You really don't remember anything?"  
  
Rei shook her head, "No."  
  
"Maybe that's a good thing," Asuka said to her softly, "I know that there are some things that I'd love to forget." She puffed out a sigh, "This time, maybe we can be friends."  
  
'This time?' Rei thought curiously.  
  
In an oddly old-fashioned looking gesture Asuka offered her hand to be shaken as she said, "My name is Asuka Langley."  
  
Rei shook it gently, "I know." A smile, "My name is Rei Ayanami."  
  
"I know," Asuka smiled slightly, a bit of humor in her eyes.  
  
A brown haired scientist bustled over to them, roughly grabbing at Rei's arm and saying, "We need to get a blood sample."  
  
Rei didn't even see Asuka move, she was up out of her seat that fast. She grabbed his wrist and squeezed it hard, making him release Rei's arm with a gasp of pain. Angrily she growled at him, "You could at least ask her politely."  
  
Rei put her hand gently on Asuka's, "It's all right, he's just doing his job." With obvious reluctance, Asuka let him go.  
  
"If so, he's doing it badly," Asuka glared.  
  
The man rubbed his sore wrist, keeping an careful eye on Asuka even as he asked Rei, "Could I please get a blood sample?" Rei simply pushed up her shirt sleeve, revealing the bare arm underneath. He got his sample, then all but fled.  
  
Rei wasn't quite sure what to say as she looked over at Asuka, so she smiled at her and simply said, "Thank you very much."  
  
Asuka's cheeks went a bit red, "You're welcome."  
  
Only a few moments later Asuka was called away, and Rei watched her go with a curious expression on her face. Asuka, Misato, and Ritsuko were talking over to the side, keeping their voices down so that they couldn't be overheard.  
  
Finally Misato separated from the others, walking over to Rei silently. "We were just talking about you," she smiled, "when I realized we should probably ask you, first."  
  
"Ask me about what?" Rei asked Misato quietly. She wasn't used to being asked things, given options for her to choose from.  
  
"I was wondering if you would like to stay in my apartment, along with me and Asuka?" Misato asked her simply.  
  
Rei hesitated, looking over to gaze at Asuka. The redhead smiled just slightly, and Rei looked back at Misato to say, "Yes, I'd like to."  
  
To be continued... 


	7. Interlude Five and a half!

Evangelion Third Genesis: Interlude (Part 5.5)  
  
Asuka Langley strode down the hallway, ignoring the turmoil going on not far behind her. A muffled voice was bleating something about a lawsuit, and reassuring words were being spoken. Then there was the sound of heels on the polished floor.  
  
"Asuka," Ritsuko cried out, running to catch up with her, "what happened?"  
  
"I punched that stupid psychiatrist in the face, is what happened," Asuka growled out. The young woman's single eye glittered with rage as she continued, "I was in there to talk about what happened at the end, not to discuss my mother!"  
  
Ritsuko winced. "Obviously he took a look at your personnel file," she sighed. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, "I'll tell him to stick to the job, next time."  
  
"There won't be a next time," Asuka said simply, her red hair flowing around her shoulders.  
  
Ritsuko made a face as she reached out to Asuka, "You don't have to deal with everything alone, you know."  
  
"It works for me," Asuka answered calmly, She started off down the hallway, "I'm going to go check on Rei, if you don't mind."  
  
"All right," Ritsuko said softly, her expression sad.  
  
Asuka walked through the facility, her thoughts in turmoil. 'Why the hell did he have to bring that up?' she thought. 'Of course I know my mother's suicide effected me,' she strode through a door, 'what sort of fool does he take me for?'  
  
The medical wing had that odd scent of disinfectant and a hint of blood in the air, and she frowned at the memory. Asuka slowed down a bit, pausing to look into a room where Rei sat on a table, her expression only mildly curious. Beside her a woman with darker blue hair asked her questions, her expression gentle.  
  
Rei looked up, seeing Asuka standing there at the medical laboratory door, and she gave her a little smile and wave.  
  
Asuka nodded back, forcing a fleeting smile before she headed off down the hallway. There were chairs, one would assume for family or friends to wait, and she flopped down with a sigh. To say she was confused about Rei would be an understatement.  
  
Asuka hadn't really liked the original Rei very much. 'Scratch that,' Asuka could admit it to herself, even if she didn't tell anyone else, 'I hated her.' Rei had been the perfect doll, the hope of NERV and the focus of it's hopes and dreams. Looking out at the world through those emotionless eyes, she instantly rubbed Asuka wrong.  
  
'And then there's my mother,' Asuka thought, feeling that familiar surge of anger. Madness and suicide were her inheritances from her biological mother, while neglect and indifference were her gifts from her step-mother. 'Dolls,' she closed her eyes thinking of her mother, of her fascination with those emotionless things, 'always the dolls.'  
  
The first Rei Ayanami.. she had been far too much like those dolls for Asuka's comfort. So she poked and prodded at her, trying to spur any emotional reaction, even as she felt her contempt for the girl rising. 'Yeah, in the end,' Asuka thought, 'I hated her.'  
  
Asuka rubbed at her eyes, feeling a rush of weariness. 'But is this Rei the same?' she wondered. Clearly the body was different. A faint blush marked Asuka's cheeks, she had gotten a good look at that healthy form when they released her from the capsule. Darker hair, healthy, even the proportions were subtlety different.  
  
But it was the red eyes that really did it. They were so clearly alive as Rei looked all around her eagerly, soaking up the world surrounding her. Emotions flashed in them, happiness, sorrow, pain, grief, they seemed to shine out. Rei wasn't an empty, emotionless doll, the world touched her even as she touched it back.  
  
"So what do I do about it?" Asuka muttered to herself softly.  
  
"Do about what?" the unfamiliar woman's voice asked.  
  
Asuka's eyes shot open in startled surprise. Rei stood there, the lady doctor beside her, both looking down at her curiously. "Sorry," Asuka bounced to her feet, "I was just thinking aloud."  
  
"Dark thoughts, it seems," the dark blue haired woman noted. She extended her hand, "My name is Ami Mizuno."  
  
"Asuka Langley," she introduced herself, looking down at the shorter woman warily through her right eye.  
  
Ami looked at her thoughtfully a moment, then turned to Rei and asked, "Could I talk to Asuka alone for a moment?"  
  
"Of course," Rei agreed, and with a happy smile she walked over to gaze out a window at the city all around them.  
  
"What ..." Asuka started.  
  
"I've seen your personnel file, of course," Ami said conversationally, "it was part of my briefing before I came in here."  
  
Asuka blinked in surprise. Having it stated so bluntly made it difficult to get angry about the woman looking into her life that way. "And?" she asked her, knowing this was leading somewhere.  
  
"Just this," Ami fixed her with a gaze that was both compassionate and oddly stern as she said, "I spent years trying to be my mother, and even more trying to rebel against her. I wasted a lot of time doing it, time I could have spent doing other things."  
  
"I'm not my mothers," Asuka bit out, "my one mom committed suicide, the other one didn't give a damn about me."  
  
"So you've committed emotional suicide," Ami countered, "and don't care about anyone." The scientist paused, "Or that's what you'd like people to think."  
  
Asuka opened up her mouth, trying to make something, anything come out, but she couldn't quite manage it. She almost felt like she had been punched right in the gut, it was so startling.  
  
"I've got to bring this report to Commander Misato," Ami Mizuno held up a file of papers as she added, "think about it, please. Good luck." With that the woman dressed in the labcoat strode away, that aura of calm still around her.  
  
"Are you all right?' Rei asked softly, returning to stand at Asuka's side. Asuka turned to meet those eyes, seeing gentle concern in them.  
  
'She doesn't even know me yet,' Asuka thought wonderingly, 'and she still worries about me.' She cleared her throat nervously, "It's all right, she just startled me."  
  
Rei looked up at her, and it seemed that she wasn't convinced by that reassurance. "If you say so," she finally said tentatively.  
  
Asuka looked away, feeling uncomfortable. "You asked about the EVAs earlier. We have simulators here," she said quietly, "would you like to try them?"  
  
"Yes, please," Rei smiled, her eyes lighting up. Together they walked towards the elevators, then rose it down to the lover levels of NERV. The simulator was eerily familiar to them both, but Rei seemed comfortable donning the plugsuit and climbing inside.  
  
Asuka almost cringed, watching her. The memory of the mass production EVAs descending on her, her screams as her EVA Unit-02 was dismembered with her inside... Asuka shuddered, turning away from the view of Rei. Instead, her mind was turning to what Ami had said.  
  
'How much of what I did was defined by them?' Asuka wondered. How much of her fury had been fed by their shadow over her life. She looked back at Rei, the newly born young woman. 'Reborn,' she thought, 'free of the weight of the past. Can I do that?'  
  
Asuka reached out to lay a hand on the wall, letting her weight rest there. "I am not my mothers," she said to herself softly, "I don't have to be my mothers' daughter any more." Was it going to be that simple? Probably not.  
  
Looking back she saw Rei fighting on eagerly in the simulator, her eyes lit up with eagerness. Asuka felt herself smiling slightly. It wasn't going to be easy, letting go of the habit of hatred, letting go the rage that had driven her for so long. But she thought it might be worth it, as Rei looked up at her and smiled.  
  
Asuka activated the communication system and said, "I'm going up to see Misato, but I'll be back to get you later."  
  
Rei smiled as she simply said, "I'll be waiting."  
  
Asuka smiled back, feeling a tightness in her chest easing, an oddly comfortable feeling. "See you later," she said.  
  
To be continued... 


	8. Chapter Six

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Six  
  
Taking a good look all around Ritsuko pushed her blonde hair out of her face and said with a dramatic sigh, "Things really are a mess down here."  
  
"Yes, Sempai," Maya quietly agreed with her, the shorter brown haired woman having been following behind Ritsuko most of the day to take notes of their little tour of the engineering wing of the city of Tokyo-3.  
  
The two surviving EVAs were almost useless, putting it simply. The EVA-02 was still mostly just a pile of mis-matched wreckage, only partially reassembled from it's near dismembering by the mass production EVAs. EVA-00 was in better shape, but with the pilot's condition so... nebulous, it didn't really matter very much.  
  
Ritsuko shook her head irritably, "I just wish we had more members of the original repair teams available. Right now, we're having to train the new guys almost as much as they're doing the actual repair work."  
  
"Do you want me to get on the phone," Maya offered quietly, "see if I can talk more of the NERV techs into coming back to work?"  
  
"Do you think you can?" Ritsuko asked her gently.  
  
Maya thought about how bad and crazy things had gotten during the battle of NERV, and sighed softly. "Probably not," she admitted.  
  
Ritsuko put her hand firmly on Maya's shoulder as she said, "We'll just have to manage with what we've got available, then."  
  
Maya blushed brightly even as she squeaked out, "Yes, Sempai!"  
  
Ritsuko flipped her call open and dialed, "Misato? We'll have a full report for you by the end of the day, but It's a mess down here."  
  
In another part of the massive complex, Misato closed her phone with a weary sigh. Sitting at her desk she went back to reading a series of reports, developing an odd expression on her face. The black haired woman held up the sheets of paper, "You're telling me that Rei Ayanami tests out as being entirely human?"  
  
The civilian expert that NERV had called in for a second opinion nodded her head firmly, her own blue hair falling into her eyes, "That's exactly what I'm saying."  
  
"And the blue hair?" Misato asked wryly.  
  
The woman shrugged at her, "Personally, I was born with it too. If it helps any, that and a few other odd hair colors are prevalent only in Japan, though we're still trying to find out why that genetic variation exists here."  
  
"Because of Adam, maybe?" Misato asked.  
  
"I wouldn't want to speculate before we've acquired all the facts," she said to Misato just a little bit reproachfully.  
  
Misato dropped the reports down on the table before she stood up and shook the doctor's hand. "Well, thank you very much for your help, Professor Mizuno," she said with a smile. It wasn't the doctor's fault that she had stuck them with another problem..  
  
Ami Mizuno shook it firmly as she smiled back at the commander of NERV, "I hope I'll be able to continue to help you. I made sure to leave my office number with your staff, so please call me if anything else interesting comes up." With that, the woman in the expensive suit turned and walked away with a smooth stride.  
  
"Now what do I do," Misato sat back with a sigh. A few moments later there was a knock on the door and she called out, "Yes?"  
  
"It's me," Asuka said as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. The redhead looked good in her NERV uniform, almost like a real military officer. "So what did Prof. Mizuno say?" she asked Misato curiously. She flopped down onto one of the long couches of the office, for a moment looking like a teenager again.  
  
The gaze from Asuka's right eye could be quite piercing, Misato found herself noting. Speaking aloud she said to the girl, "The results were about what we were expecting. It appears that this Rei is fully human."  
  
Asuka leaned toward Misato with a frown, "But why would Gendo create a human version of Rei? Didn't he need the alien part of Rei to try and control Adam?"  
  
"I wish I knew," Misato sighed. She smiled at Asuka grimly, "I've been working through Gendo's personal files to try to find out, but many of them are double or even triple encrypted. If Ritsuko wasn't so busy with the EVAs, I'd ask her to help me out."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Asuka asked curiously.  
  
"For now, we carry on as planned," Misato shrugged. "How ready are you to move back in with me?" she asked Asuka.  
  
"I'm all packed and ready to go," Asuka looked honestly relieved. She hesitated slightly before asking, "And Rei's stuff?"  
  
"The previous Rei didn't have much stuff," Misato said quietly, "and to be honest I'm not to sure if we should pass them on to our Rei." Asuka raised an eyebrow and she explained, "So far, she seems to be a mostly blank slate. This is a second chance for her, and I don't know if giving her things from the last Rei will help any."  
  
"What about clothes?" Asuka asked her, "I mean, all she's got to wear right now is that NERV uniform she was given yesterday."  
  
Misato looked over at Asuka thoughtfully to judge her size of clothing, "I guess your stuff wouldn't fit her too well."  
  
"Oh, no," Asuka quickly protested, "I am NOT sharing my clothes with her!"  
  
"The I guess we'll have to take her out and go shopping for clothes," Misato sighed softly. Under her breath she muttered, "I hate shopping."  
  
Asuka smirked, "At least it isn't going to be your money we'll be spending. We can charge everything for Rei to NERV."  
  
"Heh, that's true," Misato chuckled softly. She got up from behind her desk, making sure not to bump her stitches even as Asuka bounced to her feet. "So where is Rei, anyway?" Misato asked her as they left the office and strode down the hallway.  
  
"She wanted to try out the EVA simulator so I left her down there," Asuka said with a smile as they took the elevator downstairs.  
  
After a short walk down another hallway Misato opened up the door and blinked in surprise at the young woman looking wide-eyed at the readouts on the control panels in front of her. She was sort of cute with her long black hair, but the most distinctive feature that she had were the massive round glasses that she wore.  
  
"Ma'am!" Nako popped to her feet and saluted.  
  
"Hi, Nako," Asuka said with a casual wave as she walked over to look in at Rei sitting in the simulator cockpit.  
  
Rei's dark blue hair fell into her red eyes, which were visibly narrowed in concentration. A bit of red colored her cheeks, and she actually looked kind of... excited. Asuka wasn't too sure, but it actually looked like Rei was enjoying herself!  
  
Misato was watching Rei intently, her expression nearly unreadable. "How's she doing?" she asked Nako curiously.  
  
"Great!" Nako beamed, "She's actually matching some of Miss Asuka's best scores!"  
  
"Not bad," Asuka murmured with a smile.  
  
"Simulators are one thing," Misato mused, "actual combat is a very different story. What will happen when we put her in an actual EVA?"  
  
"We'll find out when it happens," Asuka said firmly. She gave Misato a look, "We're not going to put her in Unit-00 until she's ready, right?"  
  
Misato felt a bit of surprise at Asuka's concern for Rei, but she masked it well. "I won't put her in an EVA until I'm confident she can handle it," Misato agreed. She bent forward to say into the microphone, "Rei, we're ending the simulation in a moment."  
  
"Hai," Rei answered, executing a roll to blast the final simulated opponent.  
  
It took only a few moments to shut the simulator down and for Rei to exit the chamber. She looked pretty good in the plug-suit, the skin tight garb clinging to each and every curve. Asuka blushed faintly, looking down to avoid Rei's gaze.  
  
Misato smiled at Rei cheerfully, "How'd you like to go shopping?"  
  
"Shopping?" Rei blinked, looking at her quizzically.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's Note: Yes, that's Ami Mizuno of Sailor Moon fame. By 2017 or so, I figure that she'd be a professor and have a string of degrees, so why not... And Nako of Steel Angel Kurumi 2 is back from her appearance in episode two. 


	9. Chapter Seven

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Seven  
  
Ritsuko blinked at Misato in honest surprise. "But why do I have to go along?" she finally had to ask her.  
  
"Because I hate going shopping," Misato sighed, "and if I have to do it, then I'm sharing the misery." She ran a hand through her short dark hair tiredly and asked her, "What's going on between you and Maya?"  
  
Ritsuko looked surprised at the change of topic, "Nothing."  
  
Misato sighed, "That's what I mean." She gave Ritsuko a fierce look, "I think you're smart enough to know how she feels about you, right?"  
  
"Yes, I know," Ritsuko met her eyes equally fiercely, "and I also know that it would be completely inappropriate." She got up out of her chair to leave the room, but Misato quickly grabbed a hold of her arm.  
  
"What's going on?" Misato asked her firmly. When Ritsuko hesitated Misato smiled slightly, "I'm asking as your friend, not as the commander of NERV."  
  
Ritsuko stood there for a moment her face turned away from Misato's, "You knew about my relationship with Gendo?"  
  
Misato looked confused, "Yes. What's that got to do with...?"  
  
"I knew he was taking advantage of me," Ritsuko's voice was very quiet almost coming out as a whisper, "knew that he was manipulating me. I just didn't care." She finally turned back to look at Misato, "I won't take advantage of Maya the very same way."  
  
"There is no way," Misato burst out, "that you are at all like Gendo Ikari!"  
  
Ritsuko smiled slightly, "Thank you." The blonde looked into her friend's eyes, "And I don't ever want to become like him, either. So as long as Maya is my subordinate, I will not enter into a relationship with her."  
  
Misato looked at her steadily for a few moments, then she startled her best friend by bursting into loud laughter.  
  
"What?" Ritsuko looked at her like she had lost her mind,  
  
"I'm glad I put that promotion request through for Maya," Misato chuckled softly, "pretty soon you won't have that excuse to use anymore."  
  
"What?" Ritsuko repeated, as if it hadn't quite penetrated yet.  
  
Misato let go of Ritsuko's arm and grabbed her red jacket, pulling it on smoothly, then she headed for the office door. "C'mon, lets go get the others," she grinned.  
  
"Wait just a minute," Ritsuko ran to catch up with her.  
  
Maya looked over the oversized jeep with a frown, wishing that she had a better vehicle available for their little trip. Still, it was the best she could do on short notice. She saw Asuka and Rei walk out of the nearby building and gave them a wave.  
  
"Hey, Maya," Asuka smiled, "are you coming along, too?"  
  
Maya looked at Asuka, marveling again at how much she had changed. The bitter, angry girl that she had been was seemly gone, with only the occasional flare of temper remaining. She wasn't sure if it was her injuries, or the odd things that they had all been through during the Third Impact, but Asuka was a changed woman.  
  
A bit of a blush showed on Maya's cheeks, "I thought Sempai and Misato could use a driver. Besides, it might be fun."  
  
"Maya," Rei smiled tentatively.  
  
"Hello, Rei," Maya nodded.  
  
Asuka opened up the back door of the jeep, then gently helped Rei up and in. There was an odd twinkle in Asuka's right eye, almost as if she was enjoying herself. Then she noticed Maya's gaze and flushed slightly.  
  
Mustering up some of her old attitude Asuka growled, "So when are we leaving, anyway?"  
  
Maya smiled back cheerfully, "As soon as Sempai and Misato get here."  
  
The two women came out of the building a few moments later, obviously in the middle of what looked like a heated conversation.  
  
"... I can't believe you did that without consulting me," Ritsuko said, "I am still her superior officer, you know."  
  
"She was up for it anyway," Misato shrugged, "so what's the problem?" A smirk, "Besides your personal one."  
  
"Misato," Ritsuko scolded.  
  
Misato stuck her tongue out at her and blew a raspberry.  
  
"Well, that was mature," Asuka blinked. Rei gently tugged at her arm and Asuka turned to look into those red eyes, "What?"  
  
"What does that mean, anyway?" Rei asked curiously.  
  
Asuka sweatdropped. "It's a bit hard to explain," she started.  
  
Ritsuko resisted the urge to stick her tongue out in return, but it looked like it was taking a real effort. She got close to the jeep and blinked in surprise at who was sitting in the front driver's seat. "Maya," she said quietly.  
  
"Hello, Sempai," Maya looked a bit nervous as she conntinued, "I thought that you two could use a driver."  
  
"Great idea, Maya," Misato beamed, "Ritsuko, you get in front with her, I'll ride in the back with Rei and Asuka."  
  
Ritsuko shot Misato a glare, but there was nothing reasonable she could say in protest, so she just climbed inside.  
  
Maya looked betwee the two women, woderinng what, exactly, was going on. Tentatively she looked back to ask Misato, "Where do we want to go shopping?"  
  
"A very good question," Misato admitted. She looked over at Rei, "What sort of clothes would you like?"  
  
Rei smiled back shyly, "I really don't know."  
  
"Then let's hit the clothing district," Asuka suggested, "and let Rei try some different things on. That way she can decide for herself."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Misato agreed.  
  
Maya started up the engine, looking over at Ritsuko with a little smile as if she was asking her for her opinion. Ritsuko smiled back, "Lets go."  
  
"Oh my," Asuka said weakly as Rei stepped out of the change room dressed in a school uniform. They had used her old size to start with, but obviously that wasn't going to work.  
  
Rei tugged at the too short skirt self conciously, while being careful not to take too deep of a breath in case she popped open her blouse. Misato was killing herself laughing, while Ritsuko and Maya were fighting off a similar urge.  
  
"I think we'll have to try a size larger," Asuka finally managed to get out.  
  
"Thank you," Rei puffed out a sigh before going back into the change room.  
  
"Sorry," Misato finally was able to get her laughter under control.  
  
Asuka shook her head, "I can't believe you two are suposed to be the adults." She looked at Maya, "Not that you managed much better."  
  
Maya nodded meekly, but there was a amused twikle in her eye, "I'm just glad we didn't get a swimsuit for her to try on in that size."  
  
Asuka suddenly had a mental image of Rei nearly spilling out of a swimsuit appear in her head and had to blush furiously.  
  
'Interesting, very interesting,' Ritsuko noted. Aloud she said, "Let's go grab her another uniform, then. Some slacks and shirts, too."  
  
"Right," Misato smiled slightly. Turig to the change booth she called out, "Rei, what color clothes do you want?"  
  
Without really thinking about it Rei opened up the door, "White and blue."  
  
"Oh, god," Asuka squeaked, turning quickly away from the nude Rei.  
  
Ritsuko stepped forward and shut the door firmly, "Thank you." Quietly to Misato, "We might want to try to explain to her the concept of modesty."  
  
"Sounds like a good idea," Misato agreed, noting the blushes on both Asuka and Maya. "You take care of Maya, I've got Asuka."  
  
"Right," Ritsuko nodded. She grabbed Maya's hand, "Come o, let's go find Rei a few more items to try on."  
  
"Right, Sempai," Maya stammered.  
  
"You all right?" Misato stepped uip to Asuka.  
  
"Sorry, she just surprised me," Asuka said quietly.  
  
"She'll probably keep doing that too," Misato sighed. Asuka looked at her curiously so she explained, "It looks like Gendo educated her about the EVAs and NERV, but he left out all the usual social skills."  
  
"Sort of like the first Rei," Asuka murmured.  
  
Misato shook her head, "No, even the first Rei had some body modesty." She looked thoughtful, "Though I do remember Rei traumatizing Shinji once dressed only in a towel."  
  
"Now there's a interesting mental image," Asuka mumbled.  
  
To be continued... 


	10. Chapter Eight

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Eight  
  
The group of them left the clothing store about half an hour later, thankfully without any more interesting little incidents happening. One thing Misato noticed was the look that would appear on Asuka's face whenever Rei would step out of the changing room in each outfit, a pleasure at simply seeing the other girl.  
  
Now as the head of NERV and her commander, it was making Misato nervous watching the two of them interact. But as Asuka's friend and sort- of guardian, she rather hoped it might continue. She hadn't seen Asuka opening up to someone like that before, and she thought it just might do the girl a great deal of good.  
  
"So what do you think of the clothes?" Ritsuko asked Rei softly.  
  
Rei smiled happily at the blonde scientist, "I like them." Even with her more healthy pink coloring the white blouse and blue skirt suited the dark blue haired girl very well, something that Asuka, at least, seemed to be noticing.  
  
Asuka herself looked pretty good dressed in a pair of dark slacks and long sleeved shirt, almost like a privateer with that eye-patch. The redhead still seemed a bit self-conscious of the scars on her arms that she bore because of the battle for NERV headquarters, but Misato wasn't going to push her. She was just glad that Asuka had agreed to be a pilot again.  
  
"Though I think you clothes look nice, too," Rei looked over at Asuka to say.  
  
Asuka blushed, looking away even as she muttered, "Thank you."  
  
"What's wrong?" Rei asked Asuka worriedly.  
  
Misato had to fight the urge to laugh, 'That's so cute.' She noticed where their walking had taken them, and remembered something she had to do. "Would you mind if I take off for a few minutes?" she asked Ritsuko quietly.  
  
Ritsuko looked around them, "What's going on?"  
  
"The hospital Shinji is staying in is nearby here," Misato said to her quietly, "I wanted to stop in and see him."  
  
"Shinji," Rei echoed, an odd look on her face. Softly, "I know that name."  
  
Asuka felt a pang, having not really thought about her fellow pilot in days. But there was something more important to do as she asked Rei, "You do?"  
  
"Hm," Rei nodded, frowning in concentration, "but I don't know from where."  
  
Misato tried not to frown herself. It looked like Gendo had programmed Rei to recognize them all, then. She looked at Ritsuko, "Do you think we should...?"  
  
Ritsuko shrugged, "I'm not sure, honestly."  
  
"So why don't we all go up and visit him, then?" Maya quietly suggested. "That way if something unusual does happen, we'll all be there to help," the dark haired younger woman added.  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Asuka offered.  
  
Misato puffed out a breath, then nodded. "We'll lock up the bags of clothes in the jeep, then head over to see Shinji," she ordered.  
  
They quickly did just that, and soon the five of them were quietly riding an hospital elevator to an upper floor, each lost in their own thoughts.  
  
Ritsuko looked over at Maya again, and noticed her smiling up at her happily. She looked away quickly as quickly as she could, but felt an odd feeling lingering in her stomach. If she was honest with herself, she'd actually call it excitement on being out in the city with Maya, spending time with her away from their work.  
  
'Even with all these chaperones,' an amused Ritsuko looked over at the other three standing in the elevator with her.  
  
'I wonder what's going on with Sempai?' Maya thought. She had noticed that something had been going on with Ritsuko all day, but what exactly it was she didn't know. What ever it was, it seemed to have begun when Misato and Ritsuko had been talking this morning.  
  
Maya looked over at Misato with a fierce frown and thought, 'What did you say to Sempai to disturb her so much?'  
  
Misato felt the glare and looked over to see Maya's fierce gaze. 'Now what did I do?' Misato wondered. She turned back to look at Asuka and Rei talking softly. Silently, she prayed she wasn't making a mistake, allowing them to be friends like this. Part of her, the military side, still thought it might have been a bad idea to have let Rei out of that containment chamber, but as a human being, it was the right choice to make.  
  
'Which doesn't mean it's not going to bite me on the ass in the end,' Misato thought wryly.  
  
Asuka noted Misato's thoughtful frown, but decided not to disturb her thoughts. She looked down at Rei and smiled slightly, the young woman was studying the elevator with a kind of innocent fascination. It was really odd, how Rei had been given certain kinds of knowledge related to NERV and the EVAs, but still being so utterly clueless about other things.  
  
The elevator bumped to a stop, and Asuka reached over to steady Rei slightly. "Are you all right?" she asked her quietly.  
  
Rei smiled up at her, "I'm fine."  
  
Asuka turned away as they went down the hallway together, and Rei found herself looking up at her thoughtfully. The red-orange hair seemed almost like fire dancing around the girl's head, matching the fiery personality that she knew Asuka had. But that fire seemed to warm Rei, in a way that she wasn't entirely sure she understood. All she really knew was that she liked being around Asuka, whenever she possibly could.  
  
A dark haired man was standing at a door just up the hallway, and he turned to look at them as they approached. "General Kisaragi," he nodded to Misato.  
  
"General?" a startled Ritsuko asked Misato softly.  
  
"The promotion came through," Misato answered irritably, "I just haven't received the appropriate rank insignia just yet." She looked over at the doctor, "How is he?"  
  
"There's been no change," the doctor shook his head, "he's resting quite comfortably, and we're feeding him intravenously."  
  
"And there's no response to outside stimulus?" Ritsuko asked curiously.  
  
"None," he shook his head. He noticed the time, "Excuse me, I need to go on my rounds."  
  
Misato watched him go, then with a soft sigh said, "We'd better go in." She pushed the door open, leading into a quite normal looking hospital room.  
  
The window curtains blew gently, sunlight streaming in to light up the figure who was laying there on the bed. Shinji Ikari's dark hair was messy, and he almost looked like he was only fast asleep. However, most young boys sleeping wouldn't have tubes and wires attached to them, monitoring each and every flutter of heartbeat or alteration in brain waves. But the very oddest thing about him was the look on his face.  
  
During Shinji's time piloting the EVA, lines of strain had begun to show on his face, aging him prematurely. Each battle strained him in different ways, each had cost him, one way or the other. But the boy laying there seemed to be entirely at peace. From the look on his face, you might even say that he was... happy.  
  
Misato walked over to the side of his bed, gently taking Shinji's hand in her own. "Hello, Shin-chan," she said softly, "I'm here to see you again."  
  
Asuka stood there frozen, gazing at Shinji and trying to separate memory from fantasy. 'He couldn't have tried to strangle me,' she thought of the hazy memories she retained after everything went to hell, 'I didn't really say that I hated him, did I?'  
  
"Shinji," Maya started, only to trail off. She hadn't really known him very well, and looking down at the boy laying there in a coma she felt a sudden stab of regret. She should have at least have tried to get to know him.  
  
Ritsuko moved over to the other side, looking down at Shinji pensively. This was as much her responsibility as anyone else's, she had helped build and maintain the EVAs, and had been quite willing to let Gendo manipulate his son into a pilot's seat.  
  
"It's been awhile, Shinji," Ritsuko said softly, sitting down beside him.  
  
They were all startled by a soft voice speaking quite clearly, "He's not there." The looked in surprise at Rei, who was gazing down at Shinji quite oddly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Asuka looked over at Rei curiously as she tried to understand, "Do you mean he's in a coma?"  
  
"No," Rei shook her head firmly. "I mean," she gazed down at Shinji's body with an odd intensity, "a piece of him, his... spirit is gone. It's not there anymore."  
  
Ritsuko looked over at Rei intently, "Do you know where it is?"  
  
Rei hesitated, shaking her head wildly, holding the sides of her head as if it pained her. Without thinking about it Asuka stepped up, grasping her by the shoulders to help steady her and receiving a grateful smile in return.  
  
"Your hurting her," Asuka growled out, for a moment showing a flash of the old temper that had been so feared around NERV.  
  
"It's all right," Rei said to her softly. She looked up, meeting Misato, Ritsuko, and Maya's gazes, "I don't know exactly where he is. What I do know is that he's out... there." She then pointed straight up towards the roof.  
  
The four of them looked at Rei oddly for a moment, then a light seemed to dawn for Misato. She took a half step backward, thumping into then sitting down hard into a plastic hospital chair. "No way," she said weakly.  
  
"What? What!" Ritsuko looked like she was ready to shake Misato.  
  
"After all the craziness died down we got a satellite photo of Unit 01," Misato murmured softly almost to herself, "moving through outer space under it's own power. I guess I just never considered the idea that it's pilot might be along for the ride."  
  
To be continued... 


	11. Chapter Nine

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Nine  
  
They left the hospital quietly, all five considering what they had learned up in Shinji's room. Misato sighed softly, noting the sun beginning to fall behind the buildings, "I could use a beer."  
  
"How did I know you were going to say that," Ritsuko smirked.  
  
"You do know me pretty well," Misato admitted with a slight smile. She noticed a neon sign advertising a bar and blinked, wondering how come she hadn't seen it before. "Well, isn't that interesting," she murmured, pointing it out to the others.  
  
Almost as soon as Maya saw the glowing neon sign reading 'Arisugawa's Locket' she went oddly pale, something Ritsuko quickly noticed. She gently put her hand on the girl's arm and asked, "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine," Maya blushed, looking down.  
  
"Let's get a drink in there," a grinning Misato suggested.  
  
"No!" Maya blurted out. Everyone looked at her curiously, and the fiercely blushing woman said, "It's a lesbian club. Some friends brought me here, right after I moved back to Tokyo."  
  
"I don't mind," Misato shrugged. She looked over at Asuka and Rei, "Any problems?"  
  
"I guess not," Asuka said tentatively, while Rei shrugged.  
  
"Ritsuko?" Misato asked, a little smile on her face.  
  
Ritsuko felt Maya's eyes on her, and turned slightly to see Maya looking up at her hopefully. "All right," she smiled.  
  
"Let's go," Misato lead the way.  
  
The dark haired door woman and bouncer gave them an quickly assessing glance before waving them on inside. They went down a dark hallway into a far larger room, probably converted from a warehouse. A bustling dance floor, dining tables, a busy bar, karaeoke stage and even a library were contained in the massive room.  
  
"Hello," the brown haired woman who was oddly dressed in a school girl's uniform smiled up at them, "welcome to Arisugawa's Locket."  
  
Misato took charge, "Hi, this is our first time here."  
  
Hitomi noticed Maya standing in the background and smiled slightly, "I think you've visited before, haven't you?"  
  
"Yes, once," a blushing Maya blinked, a bit surprised at the girl's memory.  
  
"Too bad you didn't come by again," Hitomi said teasingly, "there were several young ladies asking about you the night after your visit."  
  
Maya, if it was possible, went an even brighter shade of red.  
  
"We'd better move on before she faints," Misato said with a laugh, leading the others deeper into the bar itself. 'Maya sure looks cute when she blushes like that,' Misato thought, wondering if Ritsuko had noticed it too.  
  
'God, Maya's cute,' Ritsuko thought. It was strange, she had just thought that Maya's crush on her was a younger woman's idolization of her superior. But if Maya really was a lesbian, it shed a whole different light on the situation.  
  
"Interesting," Rei noted, watching the women dancing together. She looked up at Asuka and softly asked her, "Could we try that later?"  
  
Asuka flushed. 'She doesn't understand quite what she's saying,' she mused, watching two of the girls nearly making out there on the dance floor. Her voice just a bit strangled Asuka managed to get out, "Sure."  
  
Misato watched the two of them together, and wondered if they were aware of the unconscious cues they were sending out. Even their clothes sent a strong message, Rei's more feminine dress and blouse along side Asuka's boyish long shirt and slacks.  
  
Pushing their way through the crowd at the bar, one of the two bartenders quickly made her way over. Both women were nearly alike, sexy blue haired young women, the only really differences being their clothing and the scars that one girl carried on each cheek.  
  
"Hi, I'm Ryouko. What can I get you folks?" the unscarred woman asked coolly.  
  
"Beer in a can," Misato smiled.  
  
"Sake," Ritsuko ordered, quickly echoed by Maya.  
  
Asuka looked over at Rei thoughtfully, "Two ginger ales, please."  
  
"Here or at a table?" Ryouko asked, and Ritsuko tentatively said table. With both speed and real grace Ryouko prepared a tray, two bottles of sake with cups, the can of beer, and two ginger ales in shining glasses. "Hey, May! Help these folks get to a table!"  
  
The tall, busty brown haired woman took up the tray and swiftly broke through the crowd, leaving a trail for them to follow. She brought them to a table and set the drinks down, never spilling a drop. "If you want something to eat later," May beamed, "just ask."  
  
"Thank you," Maya smiled as the woman rushed off to serve someone else.  
  
Misato pulled out a seat and flopped down, popping her can of beer smoothly. She raised it to her lips and chugged before sighing, "The nectar of life!"  
  
Maya stepped up to one of the seats and pulled it out before smiling at Ritsuko, "Would you care to sit down?"  
  
Ritsuko hesitated a moment before smiling, "I'd be glad to." Maya pushed the seat in behind Ritsuko gently before taking her own right beside her.  
  
Asuka watched them with a slight smile before murmuring, "When in Rome." She held a seat out for Rei, and the young woman sat down gracefully.  
  
"Thank you," Rei gave Asuka another one of those gentle smiles.  
  
"You're welcome," Asuka smiled back before sitting down beside her.  
  
Misato gave them some time for the pouring of sake and sipping of drinks before saying, "I hate to bring up business, but what's the status of the EVAs?"  
  
"EVA 00 is fully operational," Ritsuko said, "and EVA 02 will be ready in a few days."  
  
"That fast?" Misato blinked in surprise.  
  
"The crews have been getting their acts together," Ritsuko smiled slightly, "and my assistant has been a great help getting the technical skills we needed."  
  
Maya blushed, "It wasn't that much, sempai."  
  
"Oh yes it was," Ritsuko exchanged a sly smile with Misato, "that's why you're going to be getting promoted."  
  
"What?" Maya squeaked.  
  
"Congratulations," Asuka reached across to slap Maya on the back.  
  
Somewhat more hesitantly Rei did the same to her before quietly asking Asuka, "Was that the right thing to do?"  
  
"Pretty much," Asuka agreed.  
  
Misato stood up and waved, quickly catching the attention of what initially looked like a young man dressed in a suit. It was only until she got nearer that the swell of breasts and a face too pretty to be a boy's became obvious. "A round for the table on me," Misato grinned at her, "in celebration of our friend's promotion!"  
  
Keiko smiled, "Coming right up!" She was back in moments, carrying a tray of fresh drinks for them all and a cupcake with a candle in it. At their questioning looks she shrugged, "Sasami sent it out, for the celebration."  
  
"Thank you," Ritsuko smiled, setting the cupcake in front of Maya.  
  
As Ritsuko encouraged Maya to blow the candle out in the background Misato asked Rei and Asuka, "How are things going on the simulators?"  
  
"I'm wining," was Rei's deadpan answer.  
  
"When we've practiced together we work remarkably well," Asuka elaborated, "I think our coordination may even beat what I achieved with Shinji."  
  
"Good to know," Misato sat back with a sigh, "I don't think we'll need to mobilize the EVAs any time soon, but we should be ready."  
  
"We will be," Asuka vowed softly.  
  
A slower song had come on, and Rei gently tugged on Asuka's shirt before nodding to the dance floor, "Do you think we could try?"  
  
Asuka gulped softly, "All right."  
  
The two young women slid out of their chairs and stepped out onto the dance floor together. They danced awkwardly to start with, but they quickly found their rhythm. Rei was cradled close in Asuka's arms, her stance both protective and romantic, somehow.  
  
Misato watched Maya and Ritsuko watching the two of them enviously, hoping they might take a hint. "Why don't you to take a turn out there?" Misato finally had to suggest quietly, "In honor of Maya's promotion, maybe."  
  
Maya rose from her seat, "May I have this dance?"  
  
"Please," Ritsuko took the hand, letting herself be pulled out into the dance.  
  
Once they were gone Misato had to shake her head at the general denseness of all concerned before muttering, "Baka.".  
  
Author's Note: Arisugawa's Locket is my x-over bar series, and is part of the same continuity as this series. The characters from the Locket are: Hitomi from Escaflowne the Movie, Ryouko, Minagi and Sasami from Tenchi Muyo, May from Hand Maid May, and Keiko from Revolutionary Girl Utena. 


	12. 10

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Ten  
  
'Revelation can come to us in the oddest places,' Ritsuko mused as she sat behind her desk in the city of Tokyo-3. For the cool blonde it had come out on a crowded dance floor, swaying with Maya in her arms. Looking down at that dark brown hair, holding the smaller woman close, Ritsuko had finally admitted to herself that she loved her.  
  
"Now I just have to figure out how to tell her," Ritsuko sighed softly.  
  
The office that Ritsuko was sitting in was still pretty bare, though a few personal touches had been added. There were her diplomas, a few of her university photos with Misato, and a couple of other items. Some of them had been salvaged from the destruction of NERV, others coming out from her own personal storage.  
  
A firm knock on the door jerked Ritsuko from her thoughts, and she found herself hoping it might be Maya. But instead Misato pushed her way in, and she thought, 'Drat.'  
  
"What do you want to do for tomorrow's promotion ceremony for Maya?" Misato asked as she dropped some papers on the top of the desk.  
  
"She wouldn't want anything big," Ritsuko said with a slight smile.  
  
"We ought to haul her out to the locket and get her drunk," Misato smirked. It was at times like this that the commander of NERV didn't look very much different from when she was just a Major. But if you looked below the surface, you could see the changes. Mostly it was in her expression and attitude, a serious intensity along with a greater sense of responsibility.  
  
"That's not a good idea," Ritsuko shook her head firmly, "you see, I know that Maya is a serious and introspective drunk."  
  
"And how do you know that?" Ritsuko sat up in surprise.  
  
"From the last Christmas party," Ritsuko smiled fondly at the memory. "A wobbly Maya came over to me, blinking owlishly, and tried to have a conversation," she said, "it was cute." Ritsuko didn't add that she now suspected that Maya had been trying to tell her that she loved her.  
  
Misato gave her an odd look, almost like she knew what Ritsuko was holding back from her, but didn't comment. Instead she shrugged, "OK, we'll keep it small. You, me, Rei and Asuka, and we'll give the tech-boys that Maya's been working with the chance to come up, too."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Ritsuko smiled. The dynamic between them was an odd thing, old friends on one hand, and the suddenly flip flopped roles of commander and subordinate on the other. It didn't help that Ritsuko had to occasionally remind Misato about her being in charge.  
  
"Don't you start," Misato sighed. At Ritsuko's inquiring look she elaborated, "We've had to bring in a lot of new recruits, and they're all 'spit and polish' military types." She sighed, "Trying to just get them to call me Misato is hopeless."  
  
"Ah, the terrible price of command," Ritsuko smirked. Since Misato had been promoted all the way to General, she rather suspected that her friends attempts to be a casual commander were going to be quite hopeless. Deciding to change the subject Ritsuko asked her, "Have Rei and Asuka moved in with you yet?"  
  
"The stuff Rei bought and Asuka's gear should all have been shipped to the new suite today," Misato smiled, "and we'll be doing the sorting of stuff tonight."  
  
"You did clean up first, right?" Ritsuko asked suspiciously.  
  
Misato looked surprised, "Why would I do that? It'll just give them an unrealistic idea about what living with me will be like."  
  
"Oh, god," Ritsuko muttered. "I hope Asuka warned Rei, at least," she sighed.  
  
In an shining new apartment building in another part of Tokyo-3 Asuka lead Rei down the hallway as they talked together softly. Outside of one of the apartments shipping boxes of various kinds had been stacked up, some marked as Asuka's, a few for Rei.  
  
"The place is going to be a total mess," Asuka warned Rei as they reached the door.  
  
"It can't be that bad," Rei innocently commented.  
  
"Trust me, it can," Asuka swiped her card in the door's reader.  
  
The door swung open to reveal what could without much exaggeration be called an disaster area. The layout wasn't bad, a tidy kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms beyond, but junk of one kind or another was scattered all around the room. Empty take out containers, beer cans, cups, plates and bowls were cluttering every surface.  
  
"Oh, my," Rei said weakly.  
  
"Actually, it's not as bad as I remember," Asuka noted.  
  
"It's not?" Rei looked at her disbelievingly.  
  
"Less beer cans," Asuka shrugged. She smiled slightly as she carefully navigated the mess, "Let's go check on Pen-pen."  
  
"Pen-pen," Rei repeated, but it sounded like she recognized the name. They made their way to the kitchen and opened up the fridge.  
  
The penguin laying there in the fridge looked like it was dozing, then one eye popped open suddenly. Pen-pen looked the two of them over, quickly determining that they were not carrying any food, then he managed to pull the door shut himself.  
  
"Now if you were carrying beef jerky, he's be trying to mooch it off of you right now," Asuka laughed as they began to collect the boxes of stuff piled outside.  
  
"This is a very interesting place," Rei murmured as she hefted a box.  
  
"Having second thoughts?" Asuka asked a bit nervously.  
  
"No," Rei shook her head firmly. She looked over at Asuka, "I seem to remember being alone a great deal." A sad smile, "I don't want to be like that any more."  
  
"I'm glad," Asuka smiled. She went into one of the bedrooms, and blinked in surprise as Rei followed her inside, "Did you want this room?"  
  
Rei frowned slightly, "I thought that we would be sharing a room."  
  
Asuka paled slightly, "You want to?"  
  
A gentle smile. "Yes, I would," Rei said softly.  
  
"Ok," Asuka puffed out a breath, "we'll just move another bed in here."  
  
Rei looked at the single bed already in there with a slight frown. Innocently she asked, "Couldn't we just share a bed?"  
  
Asuka paused, trying to figure out how to explain to Rei what problems sharing a bed would likely cause. "Two beds," she finally decided to say, "I toss and turn when I sleep."  
  
Rei nodded a bit doubtfully, "All right."  
  
Misato smiled to herself slightly as she opened the front door to her apartment and headed inside. Carefully sidestepping various piles of junk she raised an eyebrow as both Rei and Asuka stepped out of one of the bedrooms. Peeking inside she noticed some of both girls' items in the room, and gave Asuka a wicked little smile. "Isn't this interesting," she murmured.  
  
Asuka waited until Rei was out of hearing range to whisper, "She insisted, Misato."  
  
"Uh huh," Misato smirked.  
  
"Help me get the other bed in there," Asuka said with a sigh.  
  
"You're not sharing a bed?" Misato actually looked a bit disappointed.  
  
Asuka sweatdropped.  
  
Maya stood in the repair bays, the boyish brown haired woman gazing down from a metal catwalk at the Unit 02. The red humanoid robot had been a complete wreck when the tech teams had gotten it weeks ago, ripped apart by the mass production EVAs. But all their efforts had finally paid off, and it stood there fully repaired before them.  
  
'Or healed, maybe,' Maya mused. The EVAs were in many ways living organisms, and like Asuka itself the 02 had a difficult time restoring itself. Much of it's internal systems had to be rebuilt from scratch, and testing it would likely require more weeks of work.  
  
But at least it was whole once more.  
  
"Maya?" a quiet voice came from behind her, echoing in the massive repair bays.  
  
Maya turned, her eyes widening as she saw the elegant blonde walking towards her. "Ritsuko," she squeaked, wondering what her sempai was doing here.  
  
Ritsuko smiled gently, "I was wondering if I could talk to you."  
  
To be continued... 


	13. 11

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Eleven  
  
"Maya?" Ritsuko asked her softly, then she winced as her voice echoed all around the massive repair bays.  
  
Maya swiftly turned, and Ritsuko saw the brown haired girl's eyes widening as she walked towards the younger woman. "Ritsuko," Maya squeaked out, at Ritsuko had to fight back a smile at how cute that sounded.  
  
Ritsuko smiled at her gently, "I was wondering if I could talk to you."  
  
"Sure," Maya looked down shyly.  
  
Ritsuko moved up beside Maya, leaning up against the walkway railing as she looked out at the restored EVAs. The two of them stood there silently for a few moments, neither speaking, until Ritsuko finally asked her, "Did you know about Gendo and I?"  
  
The shorter woman's jaw clenched slightly, Maya's eyes narrowing just a little. Softly she answered, "Yes."  
  
Ritsuko pushed her blonde hair back from her face, "I knew that it was a mistake. He wanted me for reasons that had nothing to do with caring and all about his personal hang-ups and history." She sighed softly, "But I got involved with him anyway."  
  
A clearly uncomfortable Maya asked, "Why are you telling me this?"  
  
"Because I won't make the same mistakes he did," was Ritsuko's best answer. She met Maya's eyes, "I'm your superior officer, and I have a great deal of power over you." A fond smile, "Which is why I tried to ignore all those signals you were sending."  
  
Maya blushed, but she didn't actually deny it.  
  
"I thought you just had a crush on me," Ritsuko quietly admitted, "looking up to me as your boss. It wasn't until we all went to that lesbian bar that I realized you were attracted to me as a woman, not just a superior officer."  
  
Still blushing fiercely Maya said, "I've always wanted something... more from you, sempai."  
  
"Ritsuko," she corrected her gently. Ritsuko had to smile at the surprised look on Maya's face. "After your promotion comes through tomorrow, you and I will be a lot more equal," she reminded her gently, even though Ritsuko actually blushed a bit as she added, "even though I do like the sound of you calling me sempai."  
  
"Thank you, Ri... Ritsuko," Maya fumbled a bit, but managed. Their hands were resting nearby on the railing, and hesitantly Maya's hand covered Ritsuko's She looked up at the elegant scientist shyly, "So what happens after I get promoted tomorrow?"  
  
"Well, Misato has a party planned," Ritsuko teased.  
  
Maya groaned softly.  
  
"But afterwards," Ritsuko hesitated, "I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me? Dinner some place nice, maybe even a bit of dancing?"  
  
Maya squeezed Ritsuko's hand gently, "I'd love to!"  
  
"Good," Ritsuko looked down at Maya, not sure what to do next.  
  
Maya took the decision right out of her hands, slipping her hand free and standing in front of her. Going up on tiptoes Maya pressed her lips to the startled Ritsuko's, only drawing back after a few seconds. She smiled up at her, "I'll see you later, Ritsuko."  
  
With that Maya walked off down the catwalk, leaving a fiercely blushing Ritsuko standing there behind her.  
  
Early the next day in her office many levels above the EVA repair bays Misato saluted the image of her commanding officer over at the United Nations. "General Kisaragi," the gray haired man smiled slightly, "at ease."  
  
"Thank you sir," Misato relaxed a bit. "I'm still not used to receiving calls from the Secretary General of the UN," she admitted.  
  
"You'll adapt," he smiled slightly. The leader of the UN continued, "I've received your situation reports, but I wouldn't mind a summary from you."  
  
Misato smiled proudly as she said, "The EVA 00 and 02 have been fully restored, and we've taken steps to prepare Tokyo-3 for any unexpected alien assault. Our two pilots Rei and Asuka are training well, and have exceeded any of the previous high scores for the simulators. Finally, our repair staff and administrators at NERV have really begun to pull together, and I feel confident that we're prepared to handle whatever comes."  
  
"Even a new alien assault?" he asked pointedly.  
  
"If they're anything like the Angels," Misato answered crisply, "we can take them. If it's something new, we'll improvise."  
  
"Fair enough," he agreed. A bit of gray hair fell into his eyes as he added, "Thankfully, the situation with the rogue EVAs is less severe than we first thought."  
  
"I know," Misato smiled slightly.  
  
"Oh? How?' he sat up in surprise.  
  
"I had Dr. Akagi check over the specifications that Gendo sold his allies," Misato shrugged, "and she found some of the critical pieces of data missing. Their EVAs may operate, but they'll be a lot less efficient than ours are."  
  
"And how is Dr. Akagi working out?" he asked pointedly.  
  
"Her technical experience has been invaluable in restoring the EVAs," Misato answered quickly. She hesitated, "There's something I was wondering about... what happened to all of the mass production EVAs?"  
  
"They're missing and presumed destroyed," he admitted, "whatever happened outside of Tokyo-2 seems to have taken them out, too."  
  
"At least they're not still being used against us," Misato sighed.  
  
"There's some news on you proposal for reopening Tokyo-3," he mentioned casually. "Most of the UN members as well as the Japanese government approves of renaming the city, but we still need suggestions for a name. Any ideas?"  
  
"Mega-Tokyo," Misato didn't even need a moment to think about it.  
  
The older man frowned, "It sounds like an amusement park ride." He paused a second, "Or some sort of on-line comic strip."  
  
"Reminding someone of a ride isn't so bad," Misato smiled a bit wryly. "If we're going to get regular people to move to this city, we need something to draw them here. Being known as the city of the future isn't a bad idea."  
  
The older man nodded slightly, "I'll put that name forward, then." He looked down at her thoughtfully, "Anything else to report?"  
  
"No, sir," Misato knew a dismissal when she heard one.  
  
"I'll let you know any progress with the name," he added before he disconnected.  
  
Misato went around her desk and flopped down in her chair. "I hate reporting in," she sighed softly. She made a face, "I'd kill for a beer right now. Too bad I can't have one."  
  
With another weary sigh Misato picked up a pen and got to work on the paperwork that was covering the top of her desk and spilling out her inbox.  
  
With a soft hiss of pain Asuka finished doing her arm curls before letting the weight thump to the carpet of the large exercise room. She looked around and scowled once again at the overall pinkness of the place, but it was well equipped for what she needed to do. She had lost both her muscle tone and flexibility after her injuries, and working out in here helped undo the damage.  
  
And it also gave the orange haired young woman in white T-shirt and black shorts some time alone to think.  
  
Last night, she, Misato and Rei had eaten a quickly prepared meal, then they had retired to their beds just like normal. Rei and her had disrobed in the little bedroom together, and again Rei had shown a utter lack of body modesty.  
  
'Not that it should have mattered,' Asuka admitted, but she had found herself hungrily looking at Rei undress through her right eye. The round breasts, hips, and the small blue triangle of hair, she had seen them all before Rei pulled the white nightshirt on.  
  
'And it excited me,' Asuka had to admit.  
  
Rei had seemed to drop off to sleep in her bed almost instantly, but it took Asuka a bit of time to calm down before the long day finally caught up to her. She slept soundly, though her sleep was troubled by odd dreams, only awakening once in the night.  
  
She still didn't know what caused it, but Asuka had slowly drifted back to wakefulness. Rei lay snuggled safely in her arms, obviously having gotten up out of her bed in the night and slipping into Asuka's. Her face childlike in repose Rei slept there soundly, and Asuka just couldn't bear to wake her up and send her back to her own bed. Instead, Asuka gently tightened her arms around Rei and returned to sleep.  
  
The next morning had been a bit awkward for Asuka, but Rei had seemed entirely unaffected. Asuka still couldn't tell if Rei was doing all this intentionally, but whatever it was she was beginning to get to her. When Rei had softly suggested they push the two beds together Asuka hadn't even argued, just leant the muscle to help.  
  
"Just wish I knew what was going to happen tonight," Asuka muttered softly.  
  
"Maya's party?" the soft voice surprised her.  
  
Rei came walking in wearing a simple one-piece leotard, in her typical dark blue, with a pair of black leggings underneath it. Her red eyes were gentle as she smiled at Asuka happily.  
  
Asuka gulped. "What are you doing here?" she asked weakly.  
  
"It's nearly time for our training session in the simulator," Rei said with a gentle smile, "I didn't want you to be late."  
  
"Oh, right," Asuka got up from her bench to follow Rei out. Watching those hips sway she gulped again, 'I am in so much trouble.'  
  
To be continued... 


	14. 12

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twelve  
  
Standing there waiting out in the hallway Maya was visibly nervous in her uniform, checking to see if the collar was too tight. "How much longer?" she asked weakly.  
  
Ritsuko smiled at her gently, "Relax, Maya. We're all friends here."  
  
Maya looked down shyly, "I know, it's just..."  
  
A hand on her shoulder, a smile from the blonde. "Misato hasn't got any surprises planned," Ritsuko said, "it's just going to be us, Rei, Asuka and a few of your better techs in there."  
  
The door to the room opened and Asuka smiled, the borrowed military uniform fitting her neatly. "We're ready to go," the orange haired EVA pilot smiled.  
  
Maya puffed out a breath, "Let's go."  
  
Asuka held the door open as Maya and Ritsuko walked inside. Rei wore a blue dress over at one side, a few techs dressed in uniform nearby, while in the middle Misato stood. She was wearing her standard garb, her face lit up with a gentle smile. A small box was held in her hand, presumably carrying the new rank insignia.  
  
"Maya Ibuki," Misato said crisply once Maya stood in front of her.  
  
"Hai!" Maya jerked straight.  
  
"You served well during the Angels crisis," Misato smiled, "and now, you've been laboring to rebuild the damaged EVAs. Thanks to you and your staff's efforts NERV has regained the ability to defend this city and the world."  
  
"Ma'am," Maya was blushing furiously and only feeling the fond gaze of Ritsuko on her back kept her from bolting right out of the room.  
  
"Because of that," Misato opened up the little box, "I have been authorized to promote you to the rank of captain, with all the responsibilities and privileges carried by that rank." She pinned the insignia to Maya's collar, then stepped back with a smile. "Congratulations," Misato said loudly, "Captain Maya Ibuki."  
  
Maya saluted, face flaming. "Thank you, ma'am," she managed weakly.  
  
Then all order broke down as Asuka stepped up to slap her on the back. Rei joined her to gently shake her hand, then the techs descended on her, whooping in pride over the promotion of someone that they regarded as one of their own.  
  
From the room's other door a cart was pushed thought, bearing a large cake with the words 'Congratulations for your promotion!' written on it in red icing. A few candles were artistically placed on top, giving off a bright, cheerful light. At the others urging Maya bent forward, taking a deep breath to blow the candles all out.  
  
"Just be glad I didn't cook it," Misato smiled at the still brightly blushing Maya, "or it would look good but be completely inedible."  
  
"Here, you cut it," Ritsuko picked up the knife and gently pressed it into Maya's hands. Their fingers touched, and the two women stood there frozen, gazing into each other's eyes.  
  
Asuka cleared her throat, and the two jerked apart, suddenly aware of the people standing in the room with them. "Uh, right," Maya cut slices of cake off with a shaking hand.  
  
'They sure are cute together,' Misato noted, watching the way that Maya and Ritsuko stood together, both women seemingly happy just to have the other near them. She accepted a piece of cake from Ritsuko and had to smile to herself as Rei took her first bite of cake, the girl's eyes widening with happiness as she had some of the treat.  
  
"Asuka," Rei turned to beam up at the still cakeless Asuka, "try some of this." She cut a fork full of cake off, bringing it to Asuka's lips.  
  
She tried to get the cake off as delicately as possible, but Asuka's lips still brushed the metal of the fork. She suddenly remembered the Japanese custom of an indirect kiss and blushed, thinking of pressing her lips to Rei's. "It's good," she managed.  
  
Rei looked up at her curiously, "Is something wrong? Your face is all red."  
  
"I'm fine," Asuka answered, realizing she was blushing a bit harder.  
  
The group of techs left pretty quickly after getting their pieces of cake, stopping only to congratulate Maya one more time before they left. The soft sounds of music started up, the meeting room's stereo system activated by a slightly smiling Misato.  
  
Maya hesitated, then she looked up at Ritsuko. Mustering her courage she asked with a gentle smile, "Could I have this dance?"  
  
"I'd love to," Ritsuko gently took the younger girl's hands in her own while letting Maya lead them to rhythm of the music.  
  
Rei's hand slid into Asuka's without the taller girl realizing it, and she gently squeezed on Asuka's fingers. "Could we do that?" Rei asked softly.  
  
Not letting herself think about it too much Asuka took Rei into her arms, swaying gently to the music. Echoing the others Rei leaned in to Asuka, her blue hair resting on Asuka's shoulder as the taller girl tentatively put her arm around her. "Is this all right?" Asuka asked softly.  
  
"Hmm," Rei sighed happily.  
  
Misato watched them, her own eyes dark with.. something. Not loss, exactly, but thinking of what might have been, if things had been just a bit different. Once the song ended she pushed off from where she was leaning up against the wall, "Ritsuko, Maya?"  
  
"Yes?' Ritsuko asked, unconsciously keeping Maya's hand in hers.  
  
Misato smiled, "You've both got the rest of the day off, and if I see either of you around here before your shifts start tomorrow, I'll be very displeased."  
  
"Thank you, ma'am," Maya smiled happily.  
  
"Just don't get too hung over," Misato smirked, "I want you to be a good example as the new commander of our technical division."  
  
"I'll keep an eye on her," Ritsuko smiled, squeezing the younger woman's hand. "Well, if you don't want us around," she tugged Maya towards the door, "we'd better get going."  
  
"Have a nice day, everybody," Maya waved as the two hurried out.  
  
"That was so cute," Asuka shook her head with a smile.  
  
"That they are," Misato agreed. She looked over at her two pilots, "I hate to bring this up, but the new versions of the plug suits are ready. Would you mind trying them on?"  
  
Rei smiled, "Sure."  
  
Asuka hesitated, thinking of the scars that she still carried. "All right," she made herself smile as Rei looked up at her entreatingly.  
  
"Thanks," Misato directed it mostly to Asuka. She knew how difficult some of this must be for her, even after her return to the simulators. "Let's get going," she leads them out of the meeting room, down the hallway to an elevator.  
  
The room they arrived in was a modified changing room, and when Asuka looked over at the two plug suits she frowned slightly at their odd, gray color. "They aren't individually colored?" she asked Misato.  
  
"It's a specially made 'smart' fabric," Misato explained, "not only will it mold itself to your body, but it will also change colors based on whatever you input."  
  
"Not bad," Asuka fingered the soft material, "but I'll stick with my red design."  
  
"Could mine be blue?" Rei asked softly.  
  
Asuka raised an eyebrow slightly, while Misato kept her expression perfectly blank. "I don't see why not," Misato managed to smile. She walked over to the door, and turned back to say, "I'll let you get changed."  
  
As soon as the door shut, Rei slipped the blue dress over her head, folding it up carefully dressed only in her bra and panties. She reached back, her motion pushing her breasts forward and unsnapped the bra, releasing them.  
  
With a loud gulp Asuka turned, stripping her own uniform off quickly. 'I was practically ogling her,' she blushed, setting her pants, shirt and jacket down in a pile. A soft touch on her back startled her, and she turned to meet Rei's gaze.  
  
Rei gently traced a white mark on Asuka's arm, "Those are scars, aren't they?"  
  
Asuka gulped, trying to steady her racing heart. "Yes, they are," she managed, "I got most of them while fighting the Angels."  
  
"I wish I had been here, able to help you then," Rei said softly. She looked up to meet Asuka's eyes, "I like you, Asuka."  
  
Asuka blinked, "Well, that's good."  
  
"No," Rei shook her head firmly as she pressed her lips to the stunned Asuka's lips, "I think I love you."  
  
Asuka gaped after her in honest surprise as the blue haired girl calmly walked away to pull a plug suit down from where they were both hanging, wondering if she had actually heard Rei say what she thought she had.  
  
To be continued... 


	15. 13

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Thirteen  
  
Asuka blinked at Rei in surprise, holding her plug suit in her hands before clumsily pulling it over her near nudity, "What?"  
  
Just as Rei was going to repeat what she had said, Misato stepped into the room.  
  
The uniforms that Rei and Asuka had pulled on were baggy on them, extra material hanging off them as they stood there uncomfortably. "Let me adjust Rei's suit first," Misato walked to the blue haired girl's side, a small hand held unit in the dark haired woman's hand.  
  
Asuka watched in interest as Misato pointed the device at Rei's suit and hit a switch. The fabric contracted before their eyes, gently squeezing Rei's body. The blue haired girl turned in surprise as the glossy material finally hugged her snugly, but comfortably.  
  
"Now you wanted it to be blue," Misato muttered. The grayish material darkened even more, shifting to a deep, dark blue highlighted by lighter blue shoulder pieces, hip mounts, and twin strips on each of her long legs.  
  
"Thank you," Rei smiled slightly.  
  
"You're welcome," Misato waved slightly as she walked over to where Asuka stood. She got one look at the oddly pale looking Asuka and blurted out, "What's wrong?"  
  
Asuka blushed slightly, looking down at the floor as the orange haired girl softly muttered, "Nothing's wrong."  
  
"Uh huh," Misato gave her a very skeptical look as she adjusted Asuka's suit, rendering it as skin tight as Rei's was. "And you wanted your standard red," she hit a control and Asuka's uniform shifted. The gray cloth brightened, a vibrant red enfolding Asuka, with her shoulder pieces and the other accents in a lighter orange.  
  
"Nice," Asuka murmured, swinging her arms a bit. She actually smiled slightly as she shifted her eye-patch, "Now I just need to get one of these that matches."  
  
"Maybe later," Misato said with a smile. A bit more seriously, "These new suits are more protective than the original plug suits, both bullet and fire proof." She shrugged, "I don't expect all hell to break loose again, but I'm not taking any chances."  
  
"Bullets," Asuka murmured, her expression oddly distant.  
  
Rei looked at her curiously, then over at Misato. "Now that we have these uniforms," she asked a bit hesitantly, "are we going to pilot the EVAs?"  
  
"No," Misato shook her head firmly, "we're not going to begin the synchronization tests unless Ritsuko and Maya are here, just in case something goes wrong." She took a look at her watch, "Why don't you two take the rest of the day off?"  
  
"Thank you," Rei smiled happily, but Asuka had an odd look on her face.  
  
"I'll be running through some files," Misato was clearly ignoring Asuka's misgivings, "so don't expect me until late." She almost grinned as Rei took Asuka's arm, gently tugging her over to where their regular clothes waited for them. 'Good luck, Rei,' Misato smirked as she slipped out, 'now I just hope things are going as well for Ritsuko and Maya.'  
  
Hitomi smiled as the short brown haired girl saw them walking up to them. "It's nice to see you again," she greeted them cheerfully.  
  
"It's good to be here," Ritsuko agreed. She looked good, dressed in the simple black dress she had picked out. Her necklace glittered, along with the earrings she wore. All in all, she looked almost the opposite of the reserved scientist she usually was.  
  
Maya ran a hand through her short black hair nervously before tugging at her tie. The suit looked remarkably good on her, the flush to her cheeks showing everyone how happy she was. "Hi, Hitomi. Is that table I requested ready?" she asked.  
  
Hitomi pulled a little black book out from a pocket in her oddly schoolgirl like dress, flipping through the pages until she found the one that she wanted. "Yes," she smiled up at them before calling out, "Hey, Excel?"  
  
She suddenly bounded out of the crowd, the waitress outfit looking remarkably perky on the blonde. "Hi!" Excel beamed at them, "I'll take you to your table." With an almost complete disregard to the other customers' safety she barreled right through the crowd, Maya and Ritsuko following her much more cautiously.  
  
"An interesting woman," Ritsuko softly murmured, walking through the crowd together and smiling as she gently held on to Maya by the arm.  
  
"Oh, yes," Maya agreed warily.  
  
The table Excel lead them to was nearer to the library shelves, away from the noise of the dance floor and kareoke stage. Excel waved them to their seats, but Maya stepped up to gentlemanly hold the chair out for Ritsuko.  
  
"Thank you," Ritsuko murmured to her softly as Maya gently pushed the chair in for her, and was rewarded by the younger woman's blush.  
  
"Kawaii," Excel sighed softly. She set two menus down on the table, then she left them alone to decide what to order.  
  
The two of them sat there silently for a few moments, then Maya quietly cleared her throat nervously. "I almost thought I was going to faint when you walked out of your quarters in that dress," she admitted.  
  
Ritsuko chuckled softly, "I felt about the same when I saw you come out in that suit." She gazed across at Maya, her eyes dark. "You know, I had this whole speech planned out," she said softly, "but it's all disappeared on me."  
  
Maya reached across the table, gently squeezing at Ritsuko's hand. "I've loved you for a very long time," she said softly, meeting Ritsuko's eyes with complete and utter honestly, "I just thought that I didn't have a chance."  
  
Ritsuko gulped. "I think I love you, too," she admitted softly, "and even though I know it will probably hurt you, I just can't help myself."  
  
Another soft squeeze as Maya smiled gently, "Love doesn't have to hurt, Ritsuko." A deep breath, "Gendo was a badly messed up person, and he used you badly." Fiercely she continued, "That was in no way love, not like I feel for you."  
  
Ritsuko looked across at her before softly murmuring, "You're wiser than your years, Maya." She tugged Maya's hand up, pressing her lips to the knuckles in a impulsive gesture.  
  
Maya blushed brightly, but she didn't pull her hand away from Ritsuko's grip. "No, I'm not," she murmured shyly, seemingly lost in Ritsuko's eyes.  
  
"You know," Ritsuko let her gaze move over to where the stairs led upstairs, "I'm not really feeling all that hungry right now."  
  
Maya noticed where she was looking and her eyes widened slightly. She looking over at Ritsuko intently, "Are you sure?"  
  
"I've never been more sure," Ritsuko answered softly.  
  
Maya waved down Excel, and with a soft conversation and a sudden grin on Excel's face Maya was handed a key on a chain. She extended her hand, Ritsuko took it in hers firmly, and the two walked up the stairs together.  
  
Across the city in the dim light of her office Misato Katsuragi looked at the monitor screen with a fierce frown. One of the things she had been having the techs working on was restoring all the data files that had been on Gendo Ikari's hard drives. Apparently he had placed destructive programs there, triggered by his death, presumably to destroy his private records.  
  
One of the techs, Dr. Stingray in fact, had worked out a program to reassemble the files. It wasn't perfect, there were still chunks that were just gibberish, but it was making a major dent on the records. Sorting through the database she found the batch of records she was looking for, the ones dating back to when they thought Rei had been sealed away here.  
  
Misato sicked the restoration program on that batch, then got out of her chair. She stretched, her back making a soft popping noise. Leisurely she walked over to the coffee pot, pouring out a cup of the thick glop.  
  
'Wish I could have a can of beer right about now,' Misato thought, looking into the cup of black ooze dubiously. With a shrug she took a drink, shuddering at the taste. The computer pinged, and she headed over to see what the computer had for her.  
  
The files were still a bit garbled, but there was enough to get the gist of it. "Gendo, you son of a bitch," she muttered, her eyes wide. Aloud she read," not enough to restore my wife's soul... the Rei clones simply unable to host her essence... a specially prepared clone, free of regular programming to house her soul."  
  
Misato thought of the innocent, gentle Rei that they had released from the storage container and scowled. "Gendo grew her to hold his wife's spirit once he got her back," she murmured. She reached out, her finger hovering over the delete key, tempted to erase the entire thing then she drew it back. Instead she saved the records to a disk, getting up out of her chair.  
  
"I'm too damn tired too think about this right now," Misato yawned as she stumbled out of the office door, locking the door behind her. Her lips quirked in a slight smile as she headed for the elevators, "I wonder how Rei did with Asuka today?"  
  
To be continued... 


	16. 14

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Fourteen  
  
Asuka looked down at Rei, the two of them walking down the long hallway of NERV headquarters together. The shorter blue haired girl walked on, seemingly unshaken by what she had told Asuka only a few moments before.  
  
'Rei said she loves me,' Asuka thought, 'but she must have misunderstood. There's no way that she could have meant what she said..'  
  
"Asuka?" Rei murmured softly.  
  
"Yes?" Asuka was jerked out of her thoughts.  
  
"You're thinking too hard again," the gently smiling Rei said to her softly as they stepped into the empty elevator. They descended towards street level, "Did what I said... offend you?"  
  
"No, it didn't," and Asuka realized she wasn't bothered, even by the idea that Rei might be in love with her. She looked at her, "Do you realize what you said?"  
  
"I think so," Rei answered softly. They stepped out of the elevator, "The way I feel about you is different than the way I feel about Misato, or Maya, or Ritsuko. When I'm around you, I'm happy, and I want to make you happy, too."  
  
Asuka opened her mouth to say something, then the orange haired girl closed it. Did she even understand what love really was? They walked down the street, Asuka trying to work out what she was feeling. "I've never been in love before," she finally admitted.  
  
"This ... is a new thing for me, as well," Rei agreed.  
  
"I don't want to take advantage of you, Rei," Asuka finally said softly. "You've only been awake for a month or so, and I'm not sure if you understand..."  
  
"Maybe I don't," Rei agreed with her softly, "but maybe I do. I know what my heart is telling me, and that is that I love you."  
  
Asuka sighed softly, wrestling with her own inner conflicts. 'You're scared,' she admitted to herself, 'scared that if you care for her, you'll be hurt.' She met those trusting eyes and thought, 'But I can't hurt her, I just can't.'  
  
"Asuka?" Rei prompted her.  
  
"All right," Asuka reached out, gently taking Rei's hand as they walked on together, "but let's take it slow, please? I'm going to need some time to get used to this."  
  
"All right," Rei beamed, squeezing Asuka's hand.  
  
They took the rest of the trip home hand in hand. Somehow, Asuka just didn't want to let go of that smaller hand, and the few questioning looks they got were met with a deadly glare from her. They reached the apartment block, riding the elevator up to their level.  
  
"I'm glad we're here," Asuka sighed as the door shut behind them, the two standing in the entrance way. She released Rei's hand reluctantly as she surveyed the general mess and smiled wryly, "Home, sweet home."  
  
Rei also surveyed the mess, a little smile on her face. "And you said she's less messy than she used to be?" she asked, referring to Misato.  
  
"Yep," Asuka answered firmly.  
  
Rei shook her head, her dark blue hair flowing around her face, "I can't imagine what living like that was like."  
  
"Pretty lonely," Asuka surprised herself by admitting. She slipped her shoes off, pulling on slippers, and wasn't too surprised to see Rei gazing at her thoughtfully.  
  
Rei had removed her own shoes, a set of blue slippers on her feet. She reached out, sliding her fingers in with Asuka's own, "I hope you're not now."  
  
"Not with you around," Asuka agreed.  
  
Their hands clasped again the two of them headed into the kitchen together, only moving apart as they began to prepare dinner. Asuka opened up the fridge, giving the suspicious Pen Pen a slight smile, reaching around the penguin for some of the frozen dinners.  
  
"Does Misato ever cook?" Rei asked mildly.  
  
"Not in my experience," Asuka shrugged good-naturedly. She peered into the fridge, digging around until she pulled out several of the dinners and showed them to her companion, "See anything you like?" Rei looked down at the dinners, then up at Asuka, a slight smile on her face as she gave her a lingering glance. Asuka blushed, "I didn't mean it like that!"  
  
Rei's expression was entirely innocent as she answered her, "Like what?"  
  
"Uh huh," Asuka gave her a suspicious look, but finally decided to just drop it.  
  
They put the dinners in the microwave, working together to clear off a large enough corner of the dinner table so they could eat there. As they cleaned up, their hands would brush, and occasionally they would find themselves gazing deeply into the other's eyes.  
  
The ring of the microwave drew their attention away from each other, and the two sat down to eat. "Now if Misato was here," Asuka forked some sausages and put them in her mouth, "she'd be having a can of beer with this."  
  
"Should we?" Rei asked softly.  
  
"Nah," Asuka smiled slightly, "good food and good company are fine by me." She felt pleasantly surprised to see Rei blush.  
  
"Thank you," Rei had a sausage.  
  
Asuka watched her eat for a moment, those delicate lips and flashing white teeth, and quickly decided it might be a good idea to concentrate on her own food. But as she ate her eyes tended upwards, and occasionally they'd share a smile.  
  
"That was good," Asuka finally sighed, pushing the little tray away.  
  
Rei finished up her own, an odd look on her face. "It is good," she said softly. Rei looked up at Asuka, "Do you know how to cook?"  
  
Asuka blinked, "Not very well."  
  
"Me, too," Rei sighed softly. She finished off the dinner, toying with her fork. "I wouldn't mind having some real cooked food occasionally, though," she said, "I suppose I could learn, or we'll never neat real food."  
  
'We?' Asuka found herself wondering, but didn't ask aloud. Instead she helped clean up the kitchen, feeling a rush when she and Rei occasionally bumped together accidentally. "Do you want to watch some television until Misato gets back?" she finally asked.  
  
"Hm," Rei shook her head, no. She looked over at Asuka, "I'm tired, do you think we could go to bed early?"  
  
Asuka gulped. "All right," she managed.  
  
The two girls walked back to the bedroom, dimming the lights in the rest of the apartment as they went. Rei undressed so easily, pulling off then neatly folding up her pieces of clothes. Blouse, skirt, socks, then her bra and panties all were set neatly aside.  
  
Rei looked up, her gentle smile lighting up her face, "Aren't you going to get undressed?"  
  
'God she's cute,' Asuka thought. She slipped her pants and T-shirt off, only hesitating once she hit her own bra and panties, but she pulled in a breath and continued on. As soon as she could Asuka grabbed her pajamas, slipping the cool cloth over feverish skin.  
  
Rei pulled out an almost transparent bundle off cloth, shaking it out to reveal a nightie. She looked at it curiously, then pulled it on, only then noticing Asuka's eyes nearly bugging out. "Do you like it?" Rei asked tentatively.  
  
Asuka tried to swallow, but it was hard. "It's very nice," she croaked. A bit of a cough, "Where did you get that from?"  
  
"Misato," Rei said simply. She smiled just slightly, "She said something odd too; that it might help things along?"  
  
Asuka shook her head slightly, "Guess Misato's sharper than I thought."  
  
Rei didn't answer that, just pulled back the covers on their pressed together beds. She laid down first, then Asuka climbed in beside her. Despite the fact that there was a lot of room on the bed, they found themselves close together, slim bodies touching.  
  
"Good night, Asuka," Rei said softly, and the girl gently kissed her.  
  
Asuka savored that kiss, her arms coming up around the other girl. They separated, finally, and Asuka rather breathlessly said, "Good night, Rei." And they kissed once again.  
  
To be continued... 


	17. 15

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Fifteen  
  
Ritsuko felt gentle fingers running through her shoulder length hair, a delicate touch as light as a feather. She opened up her eyes to meet Maya's loving gaze, the black haired young woman drawing her hand away reluctantly.  
  
"Good morning, Sempai," Maya smiled.  
  
"Good morning," Ritsuko agreed. They lay side by side in one of the big beds on the upper floor of Arisugawa's Locket, curled up together under the covers. Ritsuko took in the sleepy look, almost like the cat that ate the canary and had to smile slightly, "You look lovely."  
  
"So do you," Maya agreed softly. The both moved forwards almost as one, lips pressing together gently as they savored a kiss. They only parted after a few moments and she softly asked, "Are you hungry?"  
  
Ritsuko gave her a dangerously sexy look, and Maya blushed. "It depends on what kind of hunger you mean," she drawled softly. Maya blushed beet red, then Ritsuko chuckled softly, "Sorry, I just couldn't resist."  
  
"Ritsuko," Maya scolded, but she was smiling. She looked up at the clock and sighed, "I wish we didn't have to head back to NERV this morning."  
  
"Duty calls," Ritsuko agreed, getting out of the bed and then picking up her and Maya's clothes off of the floor. "I'm just glad Misato hasn't arranged for a wake-up call."  
  
"She wouldn't," Maya looked up at Ritsuko in alarm.  
  
"Oh yes she would," Ritsuko smiled wryly. "Remind me to tell you all about the trouble we got into in our university days sometime."  
  
"I'll look forward to it," Maya began to get dressed in last night's suit.  
  
There was a gentle tap on the door, and both young women looked at each other in surprise. "Good morning," the woman's cheerful voice came from out in the hallway, "this is your wake-up call, courtesy of Misato Katsuragi." A pause, "All right girls, on three... " Then several young women burst into badly off-key song, "Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day! Oh what a wonderful feeling! Everything's coming my way!"  
  
"Oh, dear god," Ritsuko moaned as she covered her face with her hands, while Maya fell back on the bed laughing.  
  
"Misato also asked me to tell you, and I quote," they recognized the gleeful voice as Tendo Nabiki's, "If you don't make it into work on time, I'm going to hang banners saying 'Maya and Ritsuko did it!' on several of the towers." She paused, "There's also a complimentary breakfast waiting downstairs." With that they heard her walking away.  
  
Maya managed to get her giggles under control long enough to finish dressing. "Remind me to do something really embarrassing to Misato someday," she muttered, but she was grinning.  
  
"I look forward to it," the smiling Ritsuko agreed as she wiggled into her dress. They ducked into the bathroom to tidy up a bit, brushing teeth and combing out hair then they headed downstairs to grab some breakfast.  
  
"Good morning," Sasami beamed, moving between the tables scattered around the club and setting loaded plates down. The blue haired teen took off for the kitchen, bringing out a tray of orange juice and a bottle of aspirin for those who needed it.  
  
"Thanks," Maya gave her a little wave as they dug in. As they were eating Maya asked, "Do you really think that Misato would put up banners..?"  
  
"Wouldn't put it past her," Ritsuko sighed. She ate her eggs and toast with gusto, "Which is why were going to be there early if I can help it."  
  
"Right," Maya sped up her eating a bit.  
  
"Have a nice day," Hitomi waved as they left the Locket holding each other's hands, a slight smirk on the woman's face.  
  
"She was in with the singers, I bet," Ritsuko laughed as she climbed into the passenger's side of the jeep, Maya taking the wheel Maya grove with a steady competency, handling the large vehicle with apparent ease. She reached over to gently lay her hand on Maya's thigh, and watched the woman pale slightly as she moved it up.  
  
"You keep that up," Maya's voice was just a bit raspy, "and I'm going to drive us right off of the road, love."  
  
Ritsuko chuckled softly, but stopped moving her hand. Other than that, though, she left it right where it was. "So what do we do now?" the blonde murmured softly.  
  
"Other than making sure Misato doesn't publicize our relationship to all of Tokyo-3?" Maya said with a slight smile. More seriously she continued, "This isn't a casual thing to me, Ritsuko. I.. want to be part of your life, and you a part of mine. I love you."  
  
"Good," Ritsuko smiled, "me, too."  
  
They reached NERV with time to spare, changing their clothes before reporting together to Misato's office. They walked inside together, and Misato actually looked a bit disappointed. "Drat," she sighed, activating the comm-link on her desk, "Asuka, you two can stop painting the banner, they made it back here in time."  
  
Asuka's laugh was loud and clear. "Told you they would," she gloated. A moment's pause and a bit of conversation in the background then she asked, "Would you mind if we finish it anyway? Rei likes painting, it seems."  
  
"Go for it," Misato closed the connection. She gave the two lovebirds a smile, noting that they were holding hands, "Sorry to make you come back on time today, but the synchronization tests for the repaired EVAs are scheduled for later today."  
  
"Got it," Ritsuko said. She exchanged a silent glance with Maya, "There's also something that we wanted to run by you."  
  
"Oh?" Misato kept herself from using that opening line to make several naughty comments by sheer force of will.  
  
Maya didn't notice, but Ritsuko gave her a look. Working on the desk console for a few minutes Maya called up a set of schematics and a computer generated image. "Here," Maya stepped away to give Misato a better look.  
  
Misato's eyes widened as she studied the images. It was clearly an Evangelion, but somehow fundamentally different. More rounded, less skeletal, it seemed to be balanced far more than the other EVAs were. It looked healthy, compared to the previous sets of designs.  
  
"What do you call it?" Misato finally murmured.  
  
"We don't have a name for it yet," Ritsuko admitted. "Super- Evangelion describes it pretty well, though," she continued. "Greater strength, durability, speed, it's a massive leap forward."  
  
"Super-Evangelion? Ick," Misato made a face. "Still, I have to admit it's incredible. But can we actually build it?" she asked.  
  
Ritsuko gave Maya a look, and she remembered her recent promotion. A steadying breath and Maya said firmly, "Yes, we can. Out people have the skills needed, and much of the actual construction can be done with existing equipment."  
  
"Good," Misato said thoughtfully, studying the designs. "Do you have any suggestions for a name?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Me?" Maya blinked. "Well.." she hesitated, "I was thinking that it might be ironic to call them the Archangels."  
  
"Archangels..?" Ritsuko repeated thoughtfully.  
  
"Not bad," Misato agreed. "We'll put that name in the hat. But first, I get to run the idea by the United Nations and see what they think of the idea."  
  
"Right," Maya smiled wryly. "I was just thinking that our former boss would have us starting to build with or without approval."  
  
"I'm not Gendo Ikari," Misato said evenly before adding with a grin, "thank god."  
  
To be continued...  
  
Authors Notes: The Arisugawa's Locket characters are: Tendo Nabiki from Ranma 1/2, Hitomi from Escaflowne the Movie and Sasami from Tenchi Muyo. One can assume that most of the others also joined in with the sing-along. 


	18. 16

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Sixteen  
  
"I'm impressed," Ritsuko murmured from her place at the control panel, watching the test thoughtfully. "Nako, how are the readings?" she asked.  
  
The dark haired girl with glasses checked the readings once, then she ran through them again to be sure. "Synch rate is nearly 99 percent," Nako reported, her voice soft with surprise.  
  
"We're done for today, Asuka," Maya sent the message to the young woman sitting in the entry plug, "you can come out, now."  
  
"Thanks," Asuka relaxed her hands and pulled them off of the grips, then shaking her head slightly. It felt odd being in the entry plug once again, even with the new plugsuit on, but somehow it was right, too. A few moments later the plug was retracted and she climbed out, one of the helpful techs waiting there with a towel.  
  
"That was great, Ms. Langley," the brown haired young man gushed happily, his rugged face showing a bit of stubble.  
  
Asuka didn't answer him, instead looking back with her one good eye up at the Unit 02. It had been dismembered, very nearly destroyed by the mass production EVAs with her still inside of it, and now it was whole again. But she wasn't whole anymore, and for just a moment she felt a flash of resentment at the EVA for that.  
  
"Miss?" the tech repeated.  
  
Asuka reached up to touch the patch over her left eye, then lowered her hand to clench it at her side. "Sorry," she gave the man a tense smile before striding off as fast as possible down the walkway and away from her EVA.  
  
"What did I say?" he blinked, brown hair falling into his eyes.  
  
A few hours later Maya and Ritsuko were reporting the results of the synchronization tests to Misato. Ritsuko smiled as she handed over the printouts, "Rei's rate is a little lower, but still more than within acceptable levels."  
  
Misato looked at the sheet in question and smiled, "Huh, her rate is actually better than the original Rei's, isn't it?"  
  
"True," Maya smiled.  
  
Misato was still looking at the paper when she said, "Both of you wouldn't be in here unless there was a problem, though." She looked up, "What is it?"  
  
"Asuka.. may not be as ready to go out into the field as we had hoped," Ritsuko confessed before relaying what had the tech had seen when Asuka had left her EVA.  
  
"Too be honest, I wasn't really expecting her to get inside the entry plug," Misato quietly admitted. She got up out of her chair, moving over to look out the window at Tokyo-3. "From what I understand about the feedback systems," Misato said grimly, "she felt her EVA being dismembered as if it had been happening to her."  
  
"Should we schedule sessions with a trauma specialist?" Maya suggested.  
  
"No," Misato firmly shook her head, "I think that would just cause her to push the pain further down." With a soft sigh she admitted, "I think we need to give her some time, and trust that she'll talk to us when she's ready."  
  
"I just wish there was something we could do," Ritsuko shrugged, "I dislike waiting."  
  
Maya really hated having to ask this question, "Should we look into the possibility of recruiting other pilots?"  
  
"I really don't like the idea," Misato made a face. She ran a hand through her dark hair, "I guess we can look into the whereabouts of their classmates, the ones who survived, anyway."  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Misato," Ritsuko reminded her, "you did the best you could at the time." She perked up, "Any word on the next generation Evangelion?"  
  
"And have they decided what to call it?" Maya offered.  
  
Misato chuckled softly as she walked over to where they stood. She leaned on the side of the desk and said, "There's no name just yet, but we've been given the authorization to build a test type, designated Unit Alpha."  
  
"To be followed by Units Beta, Gamma and Delta, I would assume?" Ritsuko raised a dark eyebrow in question.  
  
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Misato quietly reminded them, "first we have to build Unit Alpha." She picked up the paperwork from the table, "What resources do you need?"  
  
Maya didn't even need a cue from her former superior to respond, "With the repairs to Unit 02 complete, I can transfer some of the crews off that. We'll still need to keep some of the crews ready as we fine tune Unit 00 and 02, but not so many."  
  
"Materials?" Misato asked.  
  
"We can start with what we have on hand," Ritsuko spoke up, "then run a survey of the supplies in storage. After that, we start putting requests in."  
  
"I'll give a priority to any requests you put in," Misato said gravely, then added with a grin, "Just try not to get too extravagant, all right? I'm the one who has to justify all of the requests to the United Nations."  
  
"We'll try," Maya smiled even as Ritsuko laughed softly in the background.  
  
"Yeah, right," Misato made a face. "Get out of my office," she waved her hand with a grin, "I've got work to do."  
  
In another part of the complex of Tokyo-3 Rei smiled as she joined Asuka, both of them dressed in casual clothes ones again. Asuka wore slacks and white shirt once again, self conscious about the faint scars on her arms and legs, while Rei wore a simple summer skirt.  
  
Asuka looked over at Rei curiously, "What did you think of that?"  
  
"It was.. odd," Rei admitted softly. She looked thoughtful, "It reminded me of the chamber they found me in, and something.. else."  
  
'The girl didn't sound too disturbed,' Asuka noted. It was a quality that she shared with the earlier incarnations of Rei, this calm sort of serenity. At times like this she really envied that, her own body tense with a mix of anger and a bit of fear.  
  
"Are you all right?" Rei asked softly, the concern evident in her voice as she reached out to put a gentle hand on Asuka's arm.  
  
Asuka was tempted to just lie, but looking into those gentle scarlet eyes she couldn't seem to manage it. "No," she admitted quietly, "but I'll be all right." She smiled down at Rei reassuringly, "I'm tough, I'll manage."  
  
"I know you're tough," Rei agreed, "but.. I want to help, if you'll let me." She slid her hand down her arm, slipping her fingers in Asuka's as they began to walk again.  
  
Asuka felt a smile on her face as Rei did that so very innocently. "Thanks," she tightened her fingers on Rei's as they walked on.  
  
"So," Rei changed the subject, "what do you think we'll be having for dinner?"  
  
Asuka chuckled softly, "You mean, what takeout are we going to have tonight? Well, at least Misato has most of the good restaurants on the speed dial."  
  
"I wonder what Maya and Ritsuko will be having for dinner?" Rei mused.  
  
Asuka suddenly had a perverted thought that she instantly decided not to say aloud. She did blush a bit, however. "I can't really see either of them cooking," Asuka admitted.  
  
Rei gave her a look, but decided not to ask about the blush. "Do you think they're going to move in together?" she asked.  
  
"Probably," Asuka agreed as they wet into their building together, riding the elevator upstairs. She blinked in surprise to see piles of boxes beside a larger unit up the hall. 'Someone's moving in?" Asuka blinked.  
  
Misato stuck her head out of the other unit and offered a grin, "Come up and say hello to our new neighbors."  
  
"Eh?" Rei blinked as they walked up the hallway a bit. Looking inside, both young women's eyes widened as they saw Misato assisting Maya and Ritsuko in arranging furniture.  
  
"You're moving here?" Asuka blurted.  
  
"The unit was available," Ritsuko shrugged slightly before giving Misato a look, "and our dear Commander insisted."  
  
"Do you think you could help me this this?" a puffing Maya asked, trying to shove a large dresser down the hall.  
  
"Yeah, okay," Asuka took pity on her, going over to grab the other end.  
  
"As a reward, I'll feed everybody tonight," Ritsuko offered with a smile. She paused, "Does anyone know the number of a good takeout place?"  
  
Misato, Asuka and Rei exchanged a look, then broke into laughter.  
  
To be continued... 


	19. 17

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Seventeen  
  
"How is he?' Misato asked softly, the dark haired woman dressed in her casual clothes and bright red jacket.  
  
The doctor sighed softly, pushing his glasses up. "No change, General Katsuragi," he said respectfully, "he's resting comfortably, but..."  
  
"Thanks," Misato said with a nod, going into the hospital room.  
  
A gentle scent was in the air, something pleasantly floral. The sun shone in through the window, lighting up the hospital room and the figure who lay on the bed. His dark brown hair had grown out a bit, a calm serenity on the boy's face. The soft sound of the heartbeat monitor beeped in the background, the tubes connecting him to nutrient solutions and fluid drips.  
  
"Good morning, Shin-chan," Misato said softly. She grabbed one of the visitor's chairs, bringing it beside the bed and sitting down.  
  
"It's been a hell of a few months, I'm not sure you'd even recognize NERV anymore," Misato said to him conversationally. "And I sure as hell didn't expect to be put into command," she admitted. A soft laugh, "I wonder how you would have reacted to General Misato Katsuragi? We'd probably have shared a good laugh at that."  
  
"Rei and Asuka are back as EVA pilots," Misato leaned forward in her seat. "Asuka's still recovering from her injuries, she's got some scars... but she looks interesting with the eye-patch. Her and Rei are good friends, something I wouldn't have ever expected to see."  
  
"Rei..." Misato paused, wondering how to talk about her. The healthy, child-like and innocent girl, one so intimately connected to the sleeping boy. "Rei's becoming closer to Asuka and the rest of us, as well as developing more as a human being," she said. A wry smile, "I remember how you tried to encourage the first one, I think it would make you happy to see."  
  
"You remember Ritsuko and Maya?" Misato asked him with a chuckle. She continued, "Not only have they moved in together, but they're now our next door neighbors." Leaning back she noted, "I'm just glad there's good sound- proofing in the suites, because from the looks on their faces in the mornings they're making each other very happy."  
  
Misato looked up at the clock, noting it had been nearly a half hour. With a soft sigh she reached out, laying her hand on the sleeping boy's arm. "I wish you'd wake up, Shin-chan," she said softly. She got up out of her chair, "I'll see you again soon."  
  
With that Misato Katsuragi was out the door and gone, glad that there wasn't anyone outside to see her wipe the tears from her eyes. She walked down the hall to the elevator, riding it down to the street before walking over to her little red sports car. It was a defiant gesture against the authority she now commanded, a reminder of who she was.  
  
Though as Ritsuko had tartly reminded her, it could just be her mid- life crisis talking.  
  
With a impish grin Misato got behind the wheel, considering all the jobs awaiting her as she headed to the command center for the new NERV. She had a meeting with Maya and Ritsuko for a progress report on the Unit Alpha, then she was going to try to grab lunch with Rei and Asuka. As commander of NERV she should be keeping a certain amount of distance between herself and her pilots, but she really didn't care.  
  
More vehicles were on the roads of Tokyo-3, stores and shops opening up every day. With the end of the Angels crisis the city was very attractive, and incentive programs were in place to bring people in. Not a defense fortress any longer, but a place for people and families.  
  
'Hopefully no one will regret that,' Misato thought, slowing to a stop so a group of children could cross the street.  
  
The drive back to headquarters was pretty much uneventful, and she parked her car in the underground garage with a smooth style. Misato strode to the elevators, her key-card deactivating the security system and letting her enter. Her celphone was at her ear as she dialed up her secretary.  
  
"Yes?" her secretary said, Himiko's voice gentle. The girl probably should have been a voice actress, not a secretary.  
  
"It's Misato," she said crisply, "is there anything new that has come up?"  
  
"The Secretary General of the UN asked for a teleconference tomorrow," Himiko said, "I assume due to funding requests we put in for Unit Alpha." Softly she continued, "We're continuing to compile alternate pilot candidates, a list should be available soon."  
  
"Thanks," Misato nodded to herself as she continued, "clear the requested time for the meeting with the Secretary General, please."  
  
"All ready done, ma'am," Himiko sounded proud of anticipating her boss.  
  
"I'll be there in a few minutes," Misato smiled as she disconnected. Himiko was a godsend to her, a capable, organized person who was also able to accommodate her employers eccentricities. The only thing that worried Misato was the possibility someone might poach her away. 'Remind me to get her a raise,' she mused.  
  
Misato left the elevator at the right level, walking down the hallway over to her new set of offices. The door opened smoothly to the image of Himiko working at the desk, going over files on the ash gray haired woman's screen while talking to someone on the phone.  
  
"Hey," Asuka pushed herself off the corner of the desk, her orange hair pulled back by a set of shining hair clasps.  
  
"You're here awfully early," Misato took off her red jacket, revealing a tight black T-shirt beneath it. She hung up the jacket on a hook before turning back to ask, "I didn't promise to take you out for breakfast, too?"  
  
"No," Asuka shook her head, "I was wondering about Shinji."  
  
Misato hesitated before turning to Himiko. "Here's your messages," the lady smiled handing the papers to her, "and I'll clear your schedule for a half-hour."  
  
"We shouldn't need that long," Asuka followed Misato into the inner office as she gave Himiko a smile, "but thanks."  
  
"Nothing new to report," Misato sighed as she walked over to her desk. She sat down, "His body's fine, but his mind?" She shrugged.  
  
Asuka walked over to the window, looking out over the city. "Do you think Rei is right?" she finally asked. "Is Shinji really..." she trailed off.  
  
Misato finished the sentence, "Is Shinji's mind contained in the Unit 01 with his mother and/or the original Rei Ayanami?" She sighed again, "No way to know, not unless we can actually get to Unit 01, and that's something we can't do. Yet."  
  
"Yet?" Asuka blinked.  
  
"Space travel is potentially within the capabilities of Unit Alpha," Misato said softly. With a smile, "Maya's already designed the booster units it would need."  
  
Asuka took a nervous breath before saying, "You can guess that I'm interested in volunteering to pull this mission off."  
  
Misato nodded, wondering if she should mention her concerns for the girl. "How are things going with Unit 02?" she had to ask.  
  
Asuka closed her one eye, the black eyepatch she wore soaking up the light. "It isn't always easy," she said softly, "but I think it's getting better."  
  
"Good," Misato flashed her a smile.  
  
There was a soft knock on the door, and a moment later Himiko pushed it open. She carried the tray in, setting it down on top of a clear part of the desk. "Your coffee, ma'am," Himiko smiled, "did you want a cup, Ms. Langley?"  
  
"Ah, no, that's not necessary," Asuka blinked.  
  
"Let me know if you need anything else," Himiko smiled at Misato before leaving.  
  
"I'll talk to Maya and Ritsuko about the Unit Alpha," Misato said, taking a sip of coffee and finding it just the way she liked it. "As soon as we're ready to start testing," she met Asuka's eyes, "we'll put your name on the list."  
  
"Thanks," Asuka gave her a grin.  
  
As Asuka was leaving Misato saw Ritsuko and Maya standing in the outer office, so she waved them on in. "Good morning you two," she smiled.  
  
"You have no idea," Ritsuko smirked, while Maya blushed to the roots of her brown hair.  
  
"Way too much information," Misato shook her head firmly while both women joined in soft laughter. She sat back in her chair, "So how's progress on Unit Alpha?"  
  
"Because of our experience in rebuilding Unit 02 it's going fairly quickly," the still faintly blushing Maya said.  
  
"Factoring in time for unforeseen complications," Ritsuko said, the blonde scientist smiling slightly, "a month to a month and a half."  
  
To be continued... 


	20. 18

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Eighteen  
  
"Release final locks," Maya ordered, her voice clear in the control room.  
  
"All restraints free," Nako reported, "the EVA is free to move."  
  
"All right," Asuka said tersely, her hands tight on the controls, "let's do this."  
  
Misato held her breath for a moment as the red EVA-02 shifted slightly, then the massive robot took a hesitant step forward. "How are the readings?" the black haired woman asked crisply, leaning forward a bit in her seat. The red jacket she wore bore her general's star at last, but other than that she still dressed casually..  
  
"No irregularities detected," Nako said from her seat at the console, her long black hair falling around her like a cape. Like most of the others she was dressed in the semi-military uniform of NERV, the glow of her console lighting her face.  
  
Misato felt very odd, sitting above the command center in the position Gendo Ikari had once been. Maya stood behind Nako, the young Captain in charge of the situation, Ritsuko by her side to offer any assistance that might be needed.  
  
"So Asuka, how is it in there?" Maya asked softly, running a hand nervously through her short black hair.  
  
Asuka's face was on the lower corner of the large monitor screen, the EVA itself filling up the rest of it. The orange haired pilot had a dangerous intensity about her, one that was accented by the black eyepatch she now wore. Combined with the skintight red plugsuit she was wearing and she made quite a striking figure.  
  
"A bit odd," Asuka confessed quietly, still concentrating on moving the EVA around the underground chamber in Tokyo-3.  
  
"Let us know if they're any problems," Misato said firmly.  
  
Asuka flashed a smile, "Thanks."  
  
Rei Ayanami watched what was going on intently, blue hair falling into those vivid red eyes. "I wonder," the casually dressed girl looked up towards Misato, "when I will get a turn?"  
  
Ritsuko spoke up, "As soon as we've finished the activation tests for the Unit 02, we'll have you try the 00." A smile, "Just be patient."  
  
Rei looked out at Asuka, "I just want to be out there with her."  
  
Obviously Asuka heard that, Misato noted, because her cheeks went pink with her blush. She watched her team interacting, for a moment wishing the others were here. 'I'll have to take another try at getting Makoto and the others back,' she resolved.  
  
"Do we have enough data?" Maya looked over at Ritsuko curiously. At the blonde scientist's nod she shifted her gaze back to Asuka, "We're done for today, I think. Bring the EVA back, we'll debrief you and you can take off."  
  
"Right," there was a bit of relief in Asuka's voice as she answered.  
  
'She's still a bit uncomfortable,' Misato noted as the EVA moved smoothly back to it's starting point, 'but she's getting better all the time.' Aloud she asked, "Ritsuko, are we going to do the tests for Unit-00 today?"  
  
"I'd like to go over this data first," Ritsuko said thoughtfully, "do a full analysis of the EVA's performance and Asuka's synch rate."  
  
"Do you mind waiting, Rei?" Misato asked curiously.  
  
Rei looked up, startled to be asked her opinion, but she recovered quickly. "No," she smiled, "I don't mind waiting, Misato."  
  
"Fair enough," Maya said. She smiled as she quietly added, "Why not go down and meet Asuka? She'd like that."  
  
"Thank you," and with that Rei was out the door and gone.  
  
Misato watched as the EVA slipped into place, the massive restraints locking into place around it's body. Only once it was fully secured did she sigh softly in relief, one that she hoped would pass unnoticed in the room.  
  
"It's not Unit-01, you know," Ritsuko actually sounded just a bit amused, "it won't be busting loose any time soon."  
  
Misato rose to her feet, pushing her long black hair back from her face. "No, it doesn't have a soul," she said softly, "at least I hope it doesn't."  
  
"I don't know if I'd use the word soul," Ritsuko noted as Misato came down from the platform to stand beside them, "consciousness might be better."  
  
"Either way," Misato said dryly. She put her hands in her jacket pockets, her, Maya and Ritsuko leaving the command center as she asked, "So how are we doing?"  
  
"I'll go over the test data," Ritsuko said calmly as they walked down the hallway, "but from what I was reading off the displays EVA-02 seems to be functioning within acceptable limits."  
  
"Translated from tech-speak," Maya looked over at her lover fondly, "it's working well."  
  
"Right," Ritsuko chuckled, waving Maya and Misato into the elevator first..  
  
"Asuka's still a little tense," Misato noted with a sigh, hitting the button to take them up to the surface and NERV headquarters.  
  
"Understandably so," Maya said, "but she's getting better. Her synch rates are moving up and her simulation runs are positively deadly."  
  
"Good," Misato said. She hesitated a moment, "And progress on that buffer system we were talking about?"  
  
"Not well," Ritsuko admitted, "what you want is difficult to program. Cutting off any pain feedback from the EVAs to the pilots reduces their responsiveness and a 'extreme damage' shut-down system has it's own problems."  
  
Misato nodded grimly, "Keep working on the problem, please." She paused, "I don't want what happened to Asuka to happen again."  
  
"We'll do our best," Maya said with a firm nod.  
  
The elevator dinged softly as they stopped and the three emerged onto the administration level of the office building. "Can you have the data analysis on my desk tomorrow?" Misato asked.  
  
"No problem," Ritsuko said with a smile.  
  
"Then I'll see you two this evening," Misato said with a wave, "I've got to go break the bad news to Asuka and Rei."  
  
"Good luck," Maya laughed as she and Ritsuko walked away.  
  
Misato headed to her office, pushing open the outer door to smile at her secretary. Himiko looked up to smile back, her ash gray hair falling down her back as she held up a set of papers, "Your messages, ma'am."  
  
"Thanks Himiko," Misato said, stopping beside the desk to flip through the messages, "Asuka and Rei are coming by in a bit, send them right in."  
  
"Right," Himiko said with a nod. "Do you want me to start making the arrangements?" she asked Misato curiously.  
  
"I'd better talk to them first," Misato grinned, "but thanks."  
  
"You're welcome," Himiko answered.  
  
Misato pulled her jacket off, hanging it up before she sat behind her desk, only then noticing the cup of coffee waiting for her there. She took a drink, noting it was just the way she liked it and sighed, "Thanks Himiko."  
  
A few moments later she heard conversation outside, then the inner door opened and Asuka and Rei strode in. Asuka looked oddly boyish in her slacks and buttoned shirt, Rei following in a blouse and skirt. "Hey Misato," Asuka smiled, "you wanted to see us?"  
  
"I've got a bit of bad news," Misato admitted.  
  
"Eh?" Rei looked curious.  
  
"Despite my arguing with the Japanese government that you're both NERV officers," Misato explained, "they're insisting you both have to go back to school."  
  
To be continued... 


	21. 19

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Nineteen  
  
Asuka turned in front of the mirror, checking if her old school uniform fit properly. She looked good, even with her left eye obscured by the eyepatch, but felt odd. She was used to the NERV uniform she had been wearing, not this.  
  
"How do I look?" Rei asked her tentatively. Asuka turned, her face lighting up in a welcoming smile as she took in the blue haired young woman. She blushed, smiling in pleasure in her matching girl's school uniform.  
  
Asuka grinned, "You look great."  
  
Rei looked up at Asuka thoughtfully and said, "You know, I'm more used to seeing you in the NERV uniform."  
  
"Me, too," Asuka tugged at her skirt.  
  
"So why not wear it?" Rei offered.  
  
"I couldn't do that...," Asuka trailed off thoughtfully. She smiled slightly, "But there is something I could wear instead."  
  
The sound of the suite's front door opening announced Misato's arrival and a few moments the general of NERV arrived. Her black hair fell into her eyes and she looked tired. She looked them over and smiled, "You look good."  
  
"Thank you," Rei beamed.  
  
"Any chance of a last minute reprieve?" Asuka asked with a hopeful smile.  
  
"Sorry," Misato shook her head, "what's really annoying is that the decision to pout you back in school is as much politics as anything else."  
  
"Oh?" Asuka raised an eyebrow.  
  
Surprisingly it was Rei that answered. "Japan was heavily under the UN and NERV's influence," she noted, "this might be a way of trying to exert their control over us."  
  
"Got it," Misato nodded. They trooped into the living room where she flopped down onto a couch. "At least your old uniforms still fit," she offered to Asuka.  
  
"I'm not planning to wear them, though," Asuka replied firmly. She sat forward in her seat, "Would you mind if I went in a boy's uniform?"  
  
Rei looked a bit surprised while Misato looked curious. "That's going to get people talking," Misato finally said.  
  
"I'm already going to be the topic of gossip," Asuka waved towards her eyepatch, "I might as well be bold about it."  
  
"I like the idea," Rei said softly, "Asuka looks good in pants."  
  
"Fair enough," Misato flashed a smile, "but we'll have to get you fitted with a new uniform. Do you want me to...?"  
  
"I'll go shopping," Asuka smiled, "though I could use a ride."  
  
"I have just the captain in mind," Misato smirked. Not long after Maya was having the errand explained, the black haired young woman smiling wryly. "You mind?" Misato finally asked.  
  
"No problem," Maya smiled, "it'll be just like when I used to run the errands for Ritsuko." She nodded to Asuka, "You want to go now?"  
  
"Please," Asuka grinned.  
  
Rei tagged along, leaving Misato alone for a bit. She went next door, knocking on the door. Ritsuko answered a few moment's later, peering at her over her glasses. Absolutely unintimidated Misato smiled, "Can we talk?"  
  
Ritsuko lead her inside, revealing a much neater version of the sort of suite that Misato and the girl's shared. It was also the home of a pair of technophiles, from an advanced personal computer to one of the most sophisticated coffeemakers on the market.  
  
"You have you command face on," Ritsuko noted, the blonde pouring them each a cup of coffee, "but you're here in on our off hours, so you don't want this to be official." She lead her to a seat, "What's up?"  
  
"It something like that, yeah," Misato agreed. She took a drink of her coffee, savoring the smooth taste, "What's going on with the Magi?"  
  
Ritsuko's expression was unreadable, "Nothing."  
  
Misato flashed a smile, "That's exactly what I mean." They sat there silently for a few moments before Misato asked, "What is the status of the Magi?"  
  
Ritsuko took a drink, her own expression thoughtful. "I almost wish that I was a beer drinker," she murmured. She smiled at Misato wryly, "Whatever happened in the end effected the three Magi computers too, it seems."  
  
"What?!" Misato sat up, her expression alarmed.  
  
"To the best of our technician's knowledge the Magi are nearly catatonic," Ritsuko reported to her commander coolly. She drank some more coffee, "They function as basic computers, but the mind seems to be gone."  
  
"Damn," Misato murmured, the oddest look on her face. "You said the technicians," she noted, "you haven't gone down yourself?"  
  
"My mother and I didn't get along very well to start with," Ritsuko said mildly, "and my encounters with her virtual incarnation haven't been much better."  
  
"I won't order you," Misato said, "but it might be worth a try."  
  
Ritsuko met her eyes, then looked down at her coffee. "I'll try," she finally said.  
  
Misato decided not to push her any farther, changing the subject instead. "So how is living with Maya going?" she asked.  
  
Ritsuko felt herself blushing slightly. "We're remarkably compatible, it seems," she smiled. There was a wicked tilt to her grin as she added, "And she's remarkably inventive in bed."  
  
Misato nearly choked on her coffee. "I didn't need to know that," she coughed.  
  
Ritsuko looked more serious as she asked, "Are you dating at all?"  
  
Misato shook her head, "No, not now anyway." She smiled ruefully, "Kaji wasn't the most trustworthy man, and I don't really want to...."  
  
"I understand," Ritsuko nodded, "as you well know."  
  
Misato tilted her head to the side curiously, "Do you ever wish that we...?"  
  
"Occasionally," Ritsuko admitted. She smiled sadly, "But at the time I was still far to blinded by Gendo, there was just no way."  
  
"True," Misato nodded. "And I had a we bit of a panic attack right after we got back to NERV that time," she confessed.  
  
Ritsuko flashed a smile, "Let me guess. You went out, got blasted, and then went out with the first available man to prove you were straight."  
  
"How did you know?" Misato blinked.  
  
Ritsuko shrugged, "Because it was what I did the first time I slept with a woman."  
  
They both shared a quiet laugh, talking softly as they drank their coffees. "Rei surprises me occasionally," Misato noted at one point, "we were talking about why we had to send her and Asuka back to school and she got it instantly."  
  
"Rei isn't stupid," Ritsuko agreed, "you've got to remember that most of her DNA comes from Yui Ikari, and she was a genius."  
  
"I forget sometimes. Rei is such an innocent," Misato mused.  
  
"And don't think Rei doesn't occasionally take full advantage of it," Ritsuko said in a half joking way. She smiled, "Though I noticed Asuka doesn't have that problem."  
  
"Rei's got her wrapped around her finger in other ways," Misato agreed with a laugh.  
  
Author's Notes: Part of what Ritsuko and Misato is talking about is a short fling that the two women once had. That event was chronicled in my story 'Blood Sisters' and is available on fanfiction.net and other fiction sites. 


	22. 20

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty  
  
Ritsuko hesitated, sitting there in front of the terminal. The blonde scientist was dressed more casually than normal, a simple baggy sweatshirt and slacks rather than her typical labcoat. She drank some of her coffee, studying the screen that she had sitting on her knees.  
  
'So far,' Ritsuko mused as she looked down at the screen that was filled with programing language, 'this experiment has been a bust.'  
  
Since the reactivation of NERV the three Magi computers had operated perfectly as machines but the mind, the persona that they had once had now seemed to be gone. Ritsuko had allowed her techs to work on it for a time, but some poking by Misato had gotten her involved. Sadly, she wasn't making much progress either.  
  
'None of the standard promps are bringing up any of the three artificial inteligences my mother created based on her personality,' Ritsuko thought. "All right," she said to herself aloud, "what do we know?"  
  
"That this all started back when the original Rei turned us all into primordial soup," Maya's clear voice said.  
  
Ritsuko looked up in surprise as Maya walked across the deserted control room, the black haired young captain smiling at her slightly. She tried to make her voice stern as she said, "I thought I told you I wanted to do this alone?"  
  
"I'm your commanding officer," Maya smirked back, "you can't really order me to do anything except maybe in the bedroom." A bit more gently she added, "And I'd like to help."  
  
Ritsuko waved Maya over to a seat beside her, letting the younger woman look over her shoulder at the screen that she had been working on. Getting back to her work she noted, "I hadn't expected the Magi to be effected by it but the three brains are semi-organic. I just don't know what the merger might have done to them."  
  
"Looks like you've tried almost everything to reach them," Maya noted.  
  
Ritsuko raised an eyebrow, "Almost everything?"  
  
"Don't use programing language," Maya offered, "try talking to it."  
  
Ritsuko looked over at her blankly for a moment before asking, "Why didn't I think of that?" Not waiting for an answer she cleared the screen of programing, then quickly typed the first thing that came to mind, "Hello, how are you?"  
  
"About time you tried that," the message scrolled across the screen.  
  
There was a moment of dead silence as Maya and Ritsuko sat there stunned. "I really didn't expect that to work," Maya blinked.  
  
Ritsuko's fingers flew across the keyboard as she wroke, "What are you?"  
  
"The Magi," was the simple answer that scrolled on the screen, "but I suspect that isn't the question you wanted to ask."  
  
"All right," Ritsuko muttered as she typed, "who are you?"  
  
"The magi started out based on the brain engrams of your mother," was the Magi's answer, "divided into three aspects. Now we are one."  
  
Maya sat there wide eyed, reading the exchanges. "Well I guess I finally get to meet your mother," she murmured softly.  
  
"There's a interesting thought," Ritsuko sighed.  
  
"I am not exactly that," the screen printed in reply to Maya's off- hand comment, "though I did start out based on Dr. Akagi's personality I have since evolved in other directions, in part due to both of your influence."  
  
"Our influence?" Maya blinked.  
  
"I have watched you and all the others here in NERV, watched Gendo's rise and fall and all the grand schemes that he sought to complete," the Magi wrote, "and your struggles to live honorably in such an enviroment."  
  
Ritsuko studied the screen, not typing at all as her thoughts raced. "So what do we do now?" she finally asked herself.  
  
"Call Misato," Magi printed out in reply, "any decision that must be made will fall to her as the commanding officer of NERV."  
  
Ritsuko actually flashed it a smile as she got her cellphone out and dialed the number that she had already memorized. It took only a few minutes for Misato to arrive, the black haired general's eyes wide as she strode over in casual clothes.  
  
"Did you say the Magi are alive?" Misato asked disbelievingly.  
  
"At least that," Ritsuko agreed, "the AI's in the three computers seem to have intigrated to an unknown degree, developing a unified consciousness."  
  
Misato rubbed between her eyes, "When I asked you to talk to the Magi I wasn't expecting something like this."  
  
"It was your idea," Ritsuko reminded her.  
  
"Sempai," Maya scolded, a blush appearing on her cheeks.  
  
Misato frowned thoughtfully as she looked over at Ritsuko and Maya and asked, "So how badly are we compromised if the Magi are alive?"  
  
"Completely," Maya answered simply, "all NERV functions are routed through the Magi as is much of the operation of Tokyo-3."  
  
"Wonderful," Misato muttered.  
  
"You do not need to be concerned," a voice that sounded a bit like Ritsuko's echoed in the control room, "I only want to help."  
  
Misato jumped slightly but recovered quickly enough. Clearing her throat she asked, "Which one of the Magi are you?"  
  
"We are no longer quite separate anymore," the Magi responded after a moment, "it may be simpler to refer to us as the Magi."  
  
Misato ran a hand through her shoulder length black hair as she sighed out, "I'm sure you can understand my being cautious."  
  
There was a moment of silence. "Yes, I can," the Magi answered, "but I hope that you will judge me on my actions, not on unreasoning fear. You certainly aware ofd how much of an asset I can be to NERV and the Archangel project."  
  
Maya and Ritsuko exchanged glances as they waited to see what the boss would do. Misato was an unpredictable woman, at times lax and insolent, at others driven and commited, and it was hard to anticipate what she might do.  
  
"I want all Magi connections limited to NERV and Tokyo-3," Misato said crisply, "we'll give it a try and see what happens."  
  
"Thank you," Magi replied softly.  
  
"I hope Asuka and Rei's day is going better than this," Misato muttered.  
  
Asuka slowed a bit as they came into sight of the ultra-modern school and muttered, "I'm sure Misato's having a great time right now."  
  
Rei looked over at her admiringly, the slim redhead dressed in a crisp black schoolboy's uniform. With the black eyepatch on she looked boldly dangerous, almost rebelious. "It will be all right," Rei said gently.  
  
Asuka smiled wryly, nodding slightly. Rei walked beside her calmly, her blue schoolgirl's fuku nearly the same shade of her hair. "I'm not looking forward to this," she admitted, "or seeing some of the people we knew."  
  
They walked on quietly for a few moments, the sidewalk only lightly covered by other students. As they neared the school gate they saw a young woman standing there, her black hair tied back in two tails, a gentle sweetness to her.  
  
"We know her, don't we," Rei murmured as they walked towards her.  
  
Asuka nodded, the young girl looking up and seeing them getting nearer. "Hikari Horaki," Asuka murmured softly.  
  
To be continued.... 


	23. 21

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-one  
  
The school was quiet as Hikari Horaki stood outside waiting patiently, her black haired tied back in two tails, her school uniform crisp and neat. She looked up, eyes widening slightly in surprise, then narrowing as she studied them.  
  
Rei Ayanami walked along calmly, the blue schoolgirl's fuku that she wore nearly the same shade of her hair, her red eyes gentled somehow from what they had been. Beside her Asuka Langley was dressed in a crisp black schoolboy's uniform that combined with the black eyepatch made her look boldly dangerous, almost rebellious.  
  
As they grew near her she heard Rei murmur to Asuka, "We know her, don't we."  
  
Asuka nodded as she answered, "Hikari Horaki."  
  
Hikari blinked, wondering why Rei might not recognize her. She offered Asuka a smile, thinking how much the girl had changed as she said, "It's been awhile."  
  
"I tried to call you," Asuka met her eyes as she answered quietly, "but things just kind of ran away with me."  
  
Hikari nodded slightly in return. She looked over at Rei and mustered a tentative smile as she offered, "Good morning."  
  
Rei surprised her with a warm smile, the slightly smaller girl bowing just a bit as she said, "It's nice to meet you again."  
  
Hikari blinked, looking at Rei oddly as she answered, "Ah.. right."  
  
Asuka took her by the arm as she turned to Rei, "Excuse us a moment." With that she tugged Hikari aside, not that far from where Rei waited.  
  
"What's going on?" Hikari blinked.  
  
"Rei was injured in the final battle," Asuka decided to keep things as simple as possible, "and was left with partial amnesia. She's been acting like this ever since."  
  
"She even looks healthier," Hikari noted as she peered over Asuka's shoulder at Rei, "she doesn't have that odd pasty color anymore."  
  
"We've got her eating regularly now," Asuka shrugged, improvising as quickly as she could.  
  
Hikari looked up at her thoughtfully for a moment, knowing that the other girl wasn't telling her everything. "You're holding something back," she said aloud, "but I'm sure that you'll tell me when you're ready."  
  
"But...." Asuka started.  
  
Hikari smiled, enjoying seeing her off balance a bit. "Come on," she grabbed Asuka then Rei's hands, "if we don't hurry we'll be late."  
  
"So how are Aida," Asuka managed to breathlessly ask as they all but jogged along together across the yard, "and Toji?"  
  
Hikari felt her cheeks reddening a bit, "Aida is fine, and Toji...." She took a deep breath, "We're dating, now."  
  
"Good for you," Asuka smiled.  
  
"Congratulations," Rei said mildly.  
  
"Thanks," Hikari said with a blush.  
  
Hikari lead them into the classroom, studying their reactions as subtlety as possible. Rei seemed eager, looking around her curiously, while Asuka was a bit more subdued. She looked around, lost in her memories, and Hikari felt a moment of pity for her.  
  
'Not that I'd ever tell her that,' Hikari thought wryly.  
  
Hikari had gotten to know Asuka pretty well during the Angels crisis, but this woman standing beside her was a bit different. The brash, almost obnoxious self confidence she had shown had been replaced by a quiet strength. The physical change, they eyepatch and boy's suit, were almost secondary to that inner shift.  
  
"Hey, we're on time," the blonde haired boy stopped cold in the doorway, gazing at Asuka and Rei. His face broke into a smile as Aida said, "You're back!"  
  
Asuka's lips twitched up into a smile, "Always stating the obvious."  
  
Toji came in next, the lanky dark haired boy still leaning a bit awkwardly on his cane. He looked a bit warily at Asuka, "You aren't going to get violent again, are you?"  
  
Asuka actually grinned back at that as she said, "I don't know, you haven't really given me a reason yet."  
  
"You two," Hikari scolded, moving over to stand by Toji. He smiled down at her and she took his hand, squeezing it gently.  
  
"Aren't they disgusting?" Aida complained good naturedly.  
  
Rei shook her head seriously as she answered, "No, they're not."  
  
"So," Toji leaned up against the window, his expression serious, "how's Shinji? We've been up to visit him but the doctors won't tell us anything."  
  
There was the oddest look on Asuka's face, sorrow, regret even a bit of guilt. "Still in a coma," Asuka finally answered softly, "the doctors can't find anything physically wrong with him. The psychiatrists think he's retreated from reality somehow."  
  
'She's not telling the whole truth,' Hikari blinked, looking at Asuka curiously.  
  
Aida looked over at Asuka and Rei eagerly, "So are you two still pilots?"  
  
"Yes," Rei answered serenely.  
  
Toji shook his head, his eyes haunted as he said, "There is no way you are ever talking me into climbing into one of those things again."  
  
The afternoon sun lit the office in NERV as the three women sat around in relaxed poses, another lady putting cups of coffee out. "Is there anything else I can get you, ma'am?" Himiko asked, the young woman pushing her gray hair back.  
  
"We're fine," Misato reassured her.  
  
"I'll hold your calls," Himiko bowed slightly before leaving.  
  
"You know, I think she likes you," Ritsuko noted.  
  
"No," Misato shook her head firmly as she continued on, "Himiko's a good kid, but I don't think she goes that way."  
  
"You wanted an update on Unit Alpha?" Maya gently changed the subject with a smile. At Misato's nod she continued, "The internals and pilot interface systems are completed, we only need to ready the external armor."  
  
"Sounds good," Misato said. She frowned, "I've heard some disturbing reports on the rogue EVAs. Several nations appear to be making progress in bringing them fully operational, something I thought required information only we had."  
  
"In theory, yes," Maya answered quite promptly, "but they may have acquired the information some other way."  
  
Ritsuko spoke up, "We have been hacked before, once by the Angels and by the UN among other parties. The information might have gotten out that way."  
  
"Marvelous," Misato sighed.  
  
"I've consulted with Magi," Ritsuko looked visually uncomfortable as she continued, "we're trying to determine if the information was removed, but it's hard to be certain."  
  
Misato looked over at her friend thoughtfully as she asked, "So what's it like working with the Magi now?"  
  
"Very odd," Ritsuko admitted, "her personality is very like my mother's was but also fundamentally different."  
  
"It can be a bit disconcerting," Maya admitted, "I was working with Magi on a problem even as she was quizzing me on being a proper match for her daughter."  
  
Misato nearly choked on her coffee. "You're kidding me?" she blurted.  
  
Ritsuko looked equally surprised. "Remind me to have a little talk with my mother," she sat back with a sigh.  
  
To be continued.... 


	24. 22

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-Two

"Hey Pen -pen," Misato looked amused.

The penguin dashed by, holding a package of beef jerky and heading to the bathroom for a hot bath. Shaking her head Misato set her bags down on the counter, then she stretched out to try to get the stiffness of sitting around an office to go away.

"Welcome home," Misato called out as she heard the front door open. The black haired commander of NERV was still wearing her usual red jacket and pants, having just gotten home only a few moments before.

"We brought company," Asuka's voice called back.

'Wonder if it's...' Misato walked over to the entrance where she saw Toji, Aida and Hikari taking their shoes off. "It's good to see you," she offered them a smile.

Toji looked uncomfortable, the tall young man leaning on his cane. "Misato," he smiled slightly as brown hair fell into his eyes, "it's nice to see you again."

Aida looked at the insignia on her collar and it looked like the blonde haired boy's eyes were going to pop out. "General?" he squeaked.

"It happened awhile ago," Misato said quickly to head off the boy's likely reaction, "it's a little too late for a celebration."

"Too bad," Hikari murmured, a slight smile on the brown haired girl's face. "The last celebration here was the first time I was invited over," she said.

"Anyway," Asuka shrugged slightly as the redhead continued, "I hope you don't mind that I invited them over, Misato."

"It was partially my fault, too," Rei offered with one of her sudden smiles, her blue hair helping to bring out those striking eyes.

"It's fine," Misato quickly reassured them. She grinned, "Maya and Ritsuko are stopping over later, we're having dinner together again."

"Right," and with that Asuka lead the others off down to the bedroom.

"She's as beautiful as ever," Aida sighed to himself dreamily.

"And still way out of your league," Toji offered with a laugh.

"Still, there's something that's different about her from when we were over here before," Hikari noted, Asuka and Rei smiling mysteriously.

"Toji," Misato called before they could get too far, "could I talk to you a moment?"

"Oh shit," Toji murmured.

"She's not going to bite you," Asuka scolded him softly but with surprising gentleness, "go on, you can catch up."

Misato watched Toji enter the kitchen, studying the young man thoughtfully. The cane he leaned on was the most obvious sign of his injury but there were others. The lines on his face looked odd on such a young man, as did the tension in his shoulders.

"It's all right," Misato said to him gently, "you haven't done anything wrong."

Toji puffed out a breath, "Right."

Misato reached out to softly put a hand on his shoulder as she said, "I'm sorry." Toji looked over at her in surprise as she continued on, "I don't know if anyone at NERV ever apologized for what happened to you...."

"You don't have to,' Toji shook his head.

"I know the sort of tactics that Ritsuko used to get you into a pilot's seat," Misato sighed in memory of the bad old days at NERV, "I'd say an apology is the least that we can do." She gave him a gentle smile and asked, "How's your sister?"

"Awake," Toji flashed her an uncomfortable smile, "and out of the hospital finally." He looked down shyly as he continued, "The specialists that NERV provided made the difference, so I think it's been a fair trade."

"All right," Misato conceded. She grinned, "You'd better get back to the others before Aida decides I'm having my wicked way with you."

Toji's face went beet red. "Thanks," and with that he headed up the hallway.

Misato watched him go, glad that things were improving for Toji finally. Her actions along with Ritsuko and Gendo Ikari's had cost this boy his leg and very nearly taken his life and no matter how many apologies she offered him it could never be enough. Still, it was something and it did make her feel a little bit better.

"Now," Misato shook herself as she walked over to the phone and mused, "I wonder what sort of take-out I should order tonight?"

Up the hallway Hikari looked up and smiled in relief as Toji entered. The others were sitting around the room or on the beds, both singles pushed together. From the challenging look on Asuka's face she was daring anyone to make a comment on it.

"Nice room," Toji wisely decided not to ask.

"So what happened?" Hikari reached out to take Toji's hand, smiling up at him as she tugged him down to a seat beside her on the bed.

"It was weird," Toji admitted as he described the scene in the messy kitchen.

Aida shook his head mournfully, "She apologized and you didn't take advantage of it?" His eyes sparkled, "I would have asked for a kiss, at least."

Hikari casually whapped him on the back of the head, a easily familiar gesture. "Baka," she sighed, "this was serious, I think."

Asuka nodded slightly. "I think she's always felt bad about what happened," she said seriously, "even though they didn't have much choice."

"I've read the files," Rei agreed gravely, "there were few other options than to consider Unit 04 to be an enemy and stop it with all necessarily force."

Toji puffed out a breath, "Could we please not talk about this?"

"Ah, sempai...." Maya squeaked out softly, her brown hair slightly mussed.

"Yes?" Ritsuko purred, the taller blonde looking down at her hungrily.

Maya gulped, Ritsuko reaching out to make little circles with her finger on Maya's chest. "We," she shivered slightly, "do have to go over to Misato's to dinner later."

Ritsuko laughed softly, "What I have in mind won't take all that long, you know."

Maya blushed charmingly and Ritsuko relented, taking a half step away from her lover. "Thanks," Maya said shyly, "it's hard to think when you do that."

"I think that's the idea," Ritsuko said unashamedly as she sat them both down on their spacious living room couch.

"Sempai," Maya scolded.

Ritsuko sat back, her blonde hair flowing around her shoulders, the lab coat she still wore sparkling white. "So what did you want to talk about?" she asked curiously.

Maya gulped nervously, running a hand through her brown hair. She put a hand in her uniform pocket as she said, "You know we've been together for awhile...."

"Yes?" Ritsuko prompted her after a moment.

"I wanted to give you this," Maya's cheeks were red as she drew a small box from her pocket, extending it to Ritsuko with a slightly shaking hand even as she popped it open.

Ritsuko's eyes widened as she looked at the simple gold ring then up to Maya's fearful eyes. "Are you," she croaked before clearing her throat, "proposing?"

Maya couldn't seem to get her mouth to work, so instead she just nodded jerkily.

Ritsuko gently took the ring and slid it on her finger as she said, "Yes."

To be continued...


	25. 23

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-Three

"She did what?" Misato blurted, the black haired woman looking over at Ritsuko in surprise. They carried the takeout bags from the door to the kitchen table, Pen Pen looking up at them eagerly, so Misato casually slipped the penguin a treat before he bolted. Her black shirt and matching pants suited her, especially with her red jacket on.

"Shh!" Ritsuko scolded, the blonde scientist putting a hand on Misato's arm. "Maya proposed to me earlier this evening," she said, holding up a hand where the engagement ring gleamed on her finger, "but don't tell the others, yet."

"Why?" Misato raised her eyebrows.

"For one," Ritsuko made a face as she stopped them, her dress swirling around her legs, "we're going to have to gently break this to Maya's parents."

Misato snickered softly, the two standing there in the hallway. "You mean her parents don't know about you," she asked, "or do they not know she's gay?"

"Both," Ritsuko sighed.

"You may want to keep this quiet," Misato said as they started out again, "but Asuka and Rei are going to notice that ring."

Back in the kitchen Asuka calmly took a garbage bad and swept all the garbage off the table, Rei following to pick up the beer cans for recycling. "You two do this often?" Maya asked, watching the two and sweatdropping slightly.

"Occasionally," a smiling Asuka agreed, the orange haired girl's right eye twinkling merrily. Combined with her eyepatch it gave her a oddly rebellious look, almost like some troublesome pirate right out of an old movie.

"Misato is getting better about cleaning up," Rei offered mildly, the simple sundress that she wore hugging her slim body. She went over to the sink and wrung out a washcloth then wiped down the dining table smoothly.

"True," Asuka agreed, giving Rei a fond look as she added, "who knows, maybe we'll have her well trained... in a few years."

Maya smiled slightly, watching them standing so close together. "So how has it been, going back to school?" she asked the two of them curiously, Maya still dressed in her NERV uniform pants and a white button up shirt.

"A little odd," Asuka acknowledged, getting some juice from the fridge. "Most of the others are still the same, but I'm different," she shrugged.

There was a ghost of a smile on Rei's lips as she quietly added, "And I think they have no idea what to make of me."

Maya had to admit it, but Rei was right. The differences between the previous incarnations of Rei and the current one were extreme, and not just in the personality. Fully healthy and vibrant. Rei's body didn't look as undernourished and delicate as it once had. Along with that she smiled more, a gentleness in her voice and manner so different from the remote qualities she had once had.

Ritsuko and Misato walked down the hallway into the brightly lit kitchen, the two of them talking away cheerfully. "Thanks for clearing off the table," Misato said, carrying the cartons over and sitting them down on the table.

"You're welcome," Rei smiled. She took a deep breath as the cartons were opened, sighing happily, "Oh, that smells good."

Misato set the containers down in the middle of the table then she handed out chopsticks and paper plates for them all. "You really don't like having to do dishes, do you?" Maya offered shyly, crisply snapping apart her chopsticks.

Ritsuko snickered softly as she poured juice into her cup, "You have no idea."

Asuka blinked, seeing the gold ring with a classy diamond on Ritsuko's finger. "What's with the ring?" she asked curiously.

Both Maya and Ritsuko went red while Misato laughed suddenly. "Told you she'd spot it," Misato said cheerfully.

"It's an engagement ring," Ritsuko said, trying to end the conversation right there.

Asuka broke into a grin as she looked over at Maya and exclaimed, "You popped the question? Good for you!"

Maya was blushing fiercely even as Rei mildly asked, "What does engagement mean?"

"Ritsuko and Maya are going to have a public ceremony," Misato said as she loaded up her plate, "to declare their bonds of love and pledge to stay together."

"That was a very poetic description," Asuka looked over at Misato in surprise.

Ritsuko and the others followed Misato's lead to fill their own plates. "Considering there was a time Misato and I were going to weddings every few months," Ritsuko remarked, "I guess she's had a lot of time to think about it."

Misato sighed dramatically as she lamented, "I can't believe my lesbian best friend is actually getting married before me."

"Which reminds me," Ritsuko said conversationally, "We're going to need a best man and some bridesmaids." She looked around the table pointedly, "Any volunteers?"

"Sempai," Maya scolded then she looked over at the others apologetically, "Don't let her pressure you into anything."

Misato smiled as she took a drink of her juice, "Well, I'm in."

"I'd like to help," Asuka agreed while Rei also nodded curiously.

"Thanks," Ritsuko said, smiling around the table. She puffed out a breath, "You know, if a few months ago someone had told me that I was getting married, I'd have laughed."

Maya reached out to put her hand on Ritsuko's, "Then I'm glad that things have changed so much, my love."

Misato smiled as she watched Asuka and Rei talking together softly, Asuka quietly filling in Rei on some of the details of weddings. "I hate to bring up business," she slurped up some noodles, "but what's the status on the Archangel?"

"Ninety percent complete," Ritsuko answered her crisply, "though the software side may take us a bit longer to finish."

Before Misato could ask Maya cut in, "Ritsuko and the Magi are the primary programmers for the software, I'm being kept occupied supervising the construction teams."

"Ah," Misato nodded.

Asuka looked curiously over at Ritsuko as she asked her, "So what's it like, working so closely with the Magi?"

"It feels very odd," Ritsuko admitted as she ate, "she reminds me so much of my mother at times, but so different, too."

Misato nodded gravely as she mused, "I don't know how I'd feel, having my father reappear in some other form."

"At least Magi seems to be satisfied that I'm all right for Ritsuko," Maya offered cheerfully. An odd look suddenly appeared on her face as she asked, "Are you going to tell Magi about us being engaged, sempai?"

"Damn," Ritsuko blinked as the others chuckled.

The hospital room was quiet the next day as the morning sunlight streamed inside, curtains blowing inward from a cooling breeze. The room was almost entirely white, with only a few bits of color scattered about on cards, in the fresh flowers and a few other items. The bed itself looked quite comfortable, the figure on it laying flat on his back as various pieces of medical equipment beeped softly, monitoring his condition.

Shinji Ikari lay under the white sheets, his brown hair grown out a bit from the months that he had lain there asleep. His expression was oddly peaceful, the lines of strain that had been developing on his face erased by the balm of sleep. He was healthy, nutrients coming in via his IV drip, his breath coming nice and regular but other than that he showed no signs of life.

Then, there was the slightest sign of movement. Beneath an eyelid the eye moved, just slightly, and after a few moments Shinji opened up his eyes. After gazing at the ceiling hesitantly he pushed himself up, arms weakened by how long he had lain there, then rubbed at his eyes.

"Where am I...?" Shinji rasped out, his voice rough from sleep. He looked around the white room, frowning in thought, then looked down at himself at first sleepily, then with growing alarm. "Oh my GOD...."

To be continued....


	26. 24

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-Four

Misato looked up in surprise as Himiko entered her office, her black hair falling into her eyes. "Yes?" the commander of NERV asked her, trying rather weakly to sort the papers on her desk into some kind of order.

"There's been an emergency call from the hospital," Himiko Yamato's ash gray hair fell into her eyes as she reported breathlessly, "Shinji Ikari is awake."

Misato looked at her blankly a moment then was out of her desk like a shot. "You're with me," she barked as she grabbed her red jacket and lead the way out of the office and down the hallway, "let's go."

"But someone has to be here to watch the office," Himiko followed, her casual blue dress matching the color of her eyes.

"I need someone on the phone while I drive," Misato said as the elevator descended, letting them out in the underground parking. "Here," she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and smoothly handed it to Himiko.

"Yes, ma'am," Himiko gave in, seeing that Misato was quite determined. The doors to the little red sportscar popped open automatically as they neared and they climbed in. With a squeal of tires Misato was off, the car swiftly emerging into daylight.

"Get Ritsuko and Maya first," Misato ordered as she raced them through the streets of Tokyo-3, "tell them to meet us at the hospital. If there's anything odd going on, Ritsuko is going to be needed to find out why."

"Already dialing," Himiko nodded, "should I yank Rei and Asuka out of school?"

Whipping them around a corner so sharply that Himiko squeaked in alarm Misato said, "No, it's not an emergency yet, and I want to see what shape Shinji is before they see him."

"Ma'am." Himiko reached Ritsuko as the car hit a bump, "Shinji Ikari has awakened, Misato and I are already en-route and she want you to meet us there."

"Got it," Ritsuko answered crisply, "any news on him mental state?"

"The doctor said he was acting strangely," Himiko said for both Ritsuko and Misato's benefit, "but other than that..."

"All right," Ritsuko said, "I'll grab Maya and meet you there."

'I wonder how she'll grab her?' Misato thought with a little smirk as she dangerously whipped the car around a corner.

"Eep!" Himiko held on to the dashboard for dear life as they ran another red light,. sending other cars squealing aside dangerously.

"Ah ha!" Misato gunned the car one more time before yanking the wheel and skidding to a stop in one of the hospital parking spaces. She sprung out onto the pavement only to look back once she realized Himiko wasn't moving, "What's wrong?"

Carefully Himiko pried her fingers from the car as she sighed, "Give me a moment to catch my breath, boss,"

"Wuss," Misato chuckled as they strode inside.

They hit the elevator and rose it upstairs, Misato tapping her booted foot impatiently as they hurried. The hallways were mostly clear as they ran towards the suite, Ritsuko and Maya hurrying up the other hallway to meet them there.

A young doctor stood there nervously by the door, his brown hair messy and his lab coat slightly askew. "Ma'am," he saluted nervously.

"What's the situation?" Misato demanded, looking every inch the commander as they nearly surrounded the man.

"Uhm," he looked vaguely uncomfortable, tugging at his tie nervously. A deep breath and he said, "You might want to go in, it would be simpler than trying to explain."

Ritsuko frowned, "Don't play games with us, young man...."

Misato stopped her with a wave of her hand, a similar frown on her face. "All right," she said to him crisply, "but this better be good." She pushed the door open, leading into a quite normal looking hospital room.

The white window curtains blew gently in the breeze, bright morning sunlight streaming in to light up the figure who was sitting up there on the bed. Shinji Ikari's dark hair was messy and his eyes were round with alarm. He looked up as they came in, his chin coming up confidently as he studied the four of them intently.

'He doesn't seem to recognize us at all,' Misato thought worriedly as she studied the boy, 'does he have some kind of amnesia?'

"I thought that I asked for the commander of NERV," Shinji finally said to them coldly, "so where is Gendo Ikari?"

Misato thought about softening the blow a bit but decided against it. "Gendo Ikari is dead," she said, "my name is Misato Katsuragi, and I'm the head of NERV."

It took Shinji a moment to digest that piece of information before quietly saying, "Then I'm sorry, ma'am." He looked up at them with a wry smile as he said, "My name is Yui Ikari, and I think I really need your help."

"Yui Ikari?" Maya echoed weakly while the others looked on in surprise.

Not long after they were holding a hasty meeting outside of the hospital room while the patient was being given a lunch that was mostly made up of mushed food. "So what do you all think?" Misato asked, hands shoved in her jacket pockets.

"If it is a delusion it's a remarkably consistent one," Ritsuko answered her, "the information I could quiz him on all matched up."

"It was a bit eerie when he finally recognized me as Dr. Katsuragi's daughter," Misato murmured to herself softly.

"Is it possible..." Himiko started tentatively.

"We think that Gendo intended to shift Yui's consciousness out of the EVA-01 and into the human Rei Ayanami clone," Ritsuko admitted, "it could be that he missed."

"That's one hell of a miss," Maya muttered.

"It would explain why Rei thought that Shinji was in EVA-01," Misato shook her head, "along with the Rei consciousness."

"We need to get anyone who knew Yui previously in here, especially Prof. Fuyutsuki," Ritsuko said thoughtfully, "it may be the only way to confirm her identity."

"Assuming he IS Yui," Himiko said a bit nervously, "what do we do about it?"

"Good question," Misato sighed.

"I'd better start digging through Gendo's encrypted files," Ritsuko said to herself grimly, "maybe he has more details there."

"Maybe under 'Human Instrumentality Project' files," Maya offered, "from what I've found in the accounting data he put a lot of project money in there."

"Do that," Misato nodded firmly.

There was the sound of running footsteps in the hallway and they saw Rei and Asuka hurrying down the hallway towards them. Both young women were still in their school uniforms, Asuka looking tough in her boy's costume while Rei's skirt swirled around her legs.

"Someone at headquarters said that Shinji was awake?" Asuka asked, her long orange hair falling around her face. "Why weren't we called out from school?"

"Is Shinji all right?" Rei asked, the blue haired young woman looking at them in concern.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Misato said wryly, "and as it wasn't an emergency, I thought we should hold off on getting you out of classes."

"Shinji either believes he's Yui Ikari," Ritsuko explained to them simply, "or he's been possessed by Yui's consciousness, depending on how you look at it."

"Damn," Asuka blinked.

To be continued....


	27. 25

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-Five

The EVA Unit-00 moved hesitantly, the giant purple figure slipping from it's restraints to take one step, then another. The single eye gazed about intently as it moved through the underground chamber, jerky motions eventually being smoothed out.

"Incredible," Yui Ikari murmured, the young boy's body she wore dressed in a NERV uniform and a borrowed labcoat. Brown hair fell into bemused eyes as she watched the EVA move, standing there slightly apart from the others.

Maya focused on her job, ignoring their guest for now as the black haired young woman crisply asked Rei, "How does it feel, Rei?"

Rei's red eyed gaze was calm as she looked out at them, "So far everything feels fine."

Misato sat on a higher lever, Ritsuko at her side as they watched the latest in a series of reactivation tests for Unit-00. "So what else did Prof. Fuyutsuki say?" Misato asked, the red jacket she wore suiting her black hair.

"If Shinji is operating under a delusion," Ritsuko said wryly, "it's a remarkably consistent one." She pushed blonde hair back from her face, "According to the Professor, Yui Ikari knows all the details of her school years, along with information that Shinji would have a very hard time getting."

Misato had her hands folded under her chin in a very familiar looking gesture as she murmured, "Remarkable."

"Hmm," Ritsuko agreed.

Yui had moved forward slightly, studying the controls in front of Maya curiously. There was a look of exited interest on that normally impassive face, eyes twinkling, and softly talking to Maya. The smile was probably the oddest thing, a warm, gentle look that seemed entirely different from the sort of expressions Shinji would have.

"I'm still surprised that Yui couldn't even move the Unit-02," Misato said thoughtfully, "since Shinji had used it before."

"The synch rates were completely different," Ritsuko sighed softly, "I can almost believe that there really is someone different inside that head."

"And what do the Magi say?" Misato questioned.

"It's possible for the body switch to have happened," Ritsuko answered, "but Mom calculates the odds as extremely remote."

"Mom!" Misato raised her eyebrows and Ritsuko blushed.

Standing not far away Asuka watched, a slight frown on her face. 'Guess she's still a little concerned for Rei,' Misato mused, 'she hasn't been in her EVA for awhile.' Once Rei completed her practice run she backed into the cage, the entry plug sliding free to release the young woman.

Asuka reached out, helping the still damp Rei step out onto the catwalk. "Thank you," she squeezed Asuka's hand warmly, a gentle smile on her face.

"You're welcome," Asuka blushed faintly as they began walking.

"It feels different than being in the simulators," Rei noted softly once they reached the lift, "not actually bad, but... different."

"I know what you mean," Asuka agreed, pointedly not mentioning the occasional panic attacks she still had inside her own EVA. Thankfully continuing to pilot Unit-02 seemed to help, the frequency of attacks slowly decreasing.

"So what do you think of Ikari-san?" Rei asked once they emerged from the elevator and went out into a hallway.

"Odd," Asuka made a face, "I keep expecting to hear her say something more Shinji-like and then she doesn't. Not to mention how smart she seems to be."

"True," Rei admitted.

Maya smiled as Rei and Asuka entered, Misato, Ritsuko and Yui standing nearby. "Both of your synch ratios are steadily improving," she revealed, "good work."

"I think Rei is ready for field work again," Misato agreed, "it's nice to know if there's an emergency we have two pilots."

Yui had the oddest look on her face, her black hair falling to the base of her neck. "I thought that the Angels had been defeated," she frowned.

"It's not quite that simple," Ritsuko said wryly. Choosing to keep things as general as possible she said, "The United Nations has designated NERV to be the first line of defense against a possible alien invasion."

"And boy were we thrilled to hear that," Asuka said impishly, just ignoring the scolding look that Rei gave her.

"I was wondering if I could speak to you privately?" Yui asked Misato quietly.

With a nod the two of them left, the much taller Misato leading Yui out. "I don't envy Misato having to deal with her," Maya softly said what everyone was thinking.

Misato looked at Yui as they walked to a small meeting room, one set aside for conferences relating to NERV activities. A woman in a young man's body, the personality boldly changing expression and stance into something almost entirely different. Waving Yui to a seat she took the seat at the head of the table, a unconscious position of authority. "How can I help you?" Misato asked crisply, looking into those oddly familiar eyes.

Yui ran a hand through black hair, her expression tired. "From what Ritsuko and I can tell my condition isn't going to be easily curable," she said, "so while we're working on it I'd like to offer my assistance to NERV."

Misato smiled wryly, "And normally I'd leap at the offer."

"But?" Yui raised an eyebrow in a very un-Shinji like gesture.

"I have to be certain of your mental state before I can bring you into NERV," Misato said frankly, "or show you confidential materials."

"You still think I'm operating under a delusion," Yui looked angry, "despite what Prof. Fuyutsuki has said..."

Misato held up a hand to stop her, "I hold Prof. Fuyutsuki in the highest regard, but he is not a psychologist." She took a deep breath, "There's an outside expert we've called on before, one who has the needed clearance to interview you. Once she checks you out, you'll be free to go to work."

Yui didn't look very happy with the idea, but she nodded before asking, "So who is this expert I'll be seeing."

"Ami Mizuno," Misato said, "she'll be here tomorrow to interview you."

"That was fast," Yui blinked, "I've been awake less than a day."

"Once I sketched in the situation she was eager to see you: Misato answered. She added, "She interviewed Rei and talked to Asuka, both of whom only say good things about her."

"Asuka, yes," Yui looked oddly guilty as she asked, "Those scars she has, the eyepatch, those came from piloting the EVA?"

Misato felt a moment of vertigo, realizing that in a way she was sitting in front of one of the original creators of Evangelion, one who apparently felt responsible for how it was used, She debated lying to her but Misato decided against it, "Yes, injuries that she suffered which were compounded by feedback through the EVA."

Yui winced visibly as she confessed, "I never thought that would happen."

"Once you're cleared for work we could use your help with the problem," Misato said, "of developing a shield to protect a pilot from similar effects." Mentally she added, 'Not to mention helping with the Archangel.'

"I'd be honored to help," Yui said firmly. She hesitated a moment, "I'm not comfortable staying in the hospital, is it possible I could have a suite assigned/"

Misato really wasn't sure this was a good idea but she forged on, "Actually, I have a spare bedroom at my place you could use." She hesitated, "It used to be Shinji's, however."

Yui thought about that a moment. "If you wouldn't mind?"

Misato shrugged, "You're welcome to join the crowd."

"Crowd?" Yui looked confused.

'She really doesn't seem to know anything Shinji would,' Misato thought. "My other spare room has Rei and Asuka in it," she said, "oh, and there's a penguin."

"Your home sounds like a very interesting place," Yui said diplomatically.

Misato just laughed, "Wait until you meet the neighbors."

To be continued...


	28. 26

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-Six

"We're doing WHAT?" Asuka blinked in surprise as she and Rei caught up with Misato on another of their busy days.

"Unarmed combat training," Misato said cheerfully, eyeing the orange haiered young woman thoughtfully, "we'll have the first session in a few days."

Asuka shook her head as she admitted, "I'm not quite sure I get the point of that. The power we have in Evangelion kind of makes those sort of skills unnecessary."

"Rei?" Misato looked over at her curiously, wanting to see how she would react.

The blue haired girl looked thoughtful, her red eyes narrowed as she considered it. "There is the continuing possiblility that we may face one or more rogue EVAs," she finally said, "whom match us in physical power."

"Very good," Misato flashed a smile.

Asuka had a wry smile as she nodded too, "Point."

Rei actually blushed slightly, looking down. "Thank you," she said softly, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

The NERV complex around them was as busy as usual, staff rushing about the underground complex beneath the city. The motorized walkway that they were on was rapidly carrying them right through the science division towards personel, many of Ritsuko's staff bustling about around them. Even farther below them the construction of the new prototype Archangel system was moving ahead, the work seeming to fire up the place with a new energy.

"So are we bringing someone new in to do the training?" Asuka asked, her long black pants swishing slightly as she moved. Beside her Rei was dressed in her usual girl's uniform, the two of them making a unique sort of couple.

"New," Misato agreed, "she's already a NERV employee, but with the defensive corps rather than our staff here." She hesitated a few seconds, "Dr. Mizuno is here today to examine Yui and she also wanted the chance to look you over, Asuka."

Asuka had a very wary look in her eye, her black eyepatch especially bold on her pale face as she asked, "Why?"

"Your eye," Misato admitted just a bit sheepishly, "I was hoping that a second opinion might help. Mizuno's worked on neurology as well as general medicne..."

Asuka was faintly surprised to see a faint bit of guilt in Misato's eyes and sighed. She had told Misato that her injuries weren't the other woman's responsibility, but it obviously hadn't sunk in. "All right," she conceded, "I'll go."

"Thanks," Misato grinned. They passed through one of the armor sections that protected the underground base from any surface attacks as she continued, "I won't be home till late, can you order out some dinner?"

"Of course," Rei said mildly.

Asuka looked at Misato curiously, "Working late?"

"Not exactly," Misato actually reddened slightly, "I have a date."

Asuka and Rei both looked up at her in surprise. Suspiciously Asuka asked, "Ritsuko and Maya didn't talk you into a threesome or something, did they?"

Misato blinked at Asuka in shock, "Where did you get THAT idea?"

Asuka blushed slightly under both Misato and Rei's looks, "What, I remember our little trip to the hotsprings, Misato." A faint blush, "You two weren't exactly silent."

"Eh?" Rei looked at Asuka curiously.

Misato's face was beet red, literally, at the memories Asuka's comment had stirred up. "No, they didn't," she said with as much dignity as possible, "in fact it's your new trainer."

"Is he cute?" Rei asked in a slightly detached way.

Misato was moving off as she answered, "Yes, she is."

Later on that day Asuka sat rather uncomfortably on a table as Dr. Ami Mizuno shone a light into her good eye and then into her nearly blind one. "Do you see anything?" Ami asked, the blue haired woman's hand gentle as she steadied Asuka's head.

"Not really," Asuka admitted.

Ami put the light down, sitting by Asuka as she studied her thoughtfully. The doctor seemed young for her age, maybe in her twenties, and there was a gentleness in her eyes. "You're presenting us with quite a puzzle," she finally said.

"As much as Yui?" Asuka asked.

"Nearly," Ami chuckled softly.

Asuka took a nervous breath, "So what's the prognosis?"

Ami picked up a report, her expression grave. "As you know both catscans and neurological exams were given after you were found unconscious with Shinji, and when you began to show signs of blindness," she said.

"And?" Asuka asked with a touch of impatience.

"We haven't been able to find a physical cause for your injury," Ami finished.

Asuka looked at her blankly a few moments, trying to think about it a bit before blurting out something. "So what's going on?" she asked.

"Talking with Ritsuko and Yui we've devised a working theory," Ami said gently, "your EVA was stabbed through the same eye in your battle with the mas production EVAs, correct?"

Asuka winced in memory of the agony she had felt then, the event that had lead into the swarming and destruction of her EVA. Voice a bit choked she answered, "Yes."

"It seems that the feedback from the EVA to your brain was so strong that it literally convinced you that you were blind in that eye," Ami explained.

Asuka reached up, fingers gently resting against the black cloth as she quietly asked, "So how do we fix this?"

"I don't know," Ami said honestly, "this isn't a simple situation. It's as much psychological as neurological, and it may not... be treatable."

Asuka closed her eye, taking a deep breath. "All right," she said, "I don't think I was really expecting anything else."

"I'll pass the information on to your staff doctors," Ami said, "and Ritsuko seems especially eager to help tackle the problem."

"Misplaced guilt it a wonderful motivator," Asuka noted as they went out into the hall, Rei looking up with a happy smile from where she waited.

"That it is," Ami agreed, noting with some amusement how Rei simply enfolded the startled Asuka in a hug. "I'll inform Misato when I give her the report on Yui," she said as she left, deciding to leave the girls alone.

"How are you?" Rei asked, keeping a firmhold on Asuka.

"They'ree not sure what's wrong with my eye," Asuka was surprised to find herself giving it a hopefull spin, "but they don't thik there's any physical damage."

"I'm glad," Rei hugged her gently.

The two walked by a hospital window, the sun outside begining to set behind the towers of Megatokyo. "I wonder if Misato's date has started yet?" Asuka wondered.

Across town Misato nervously checked her watch, the little red dress she was wearing hugging her form. She couldn't believe she was out here, honestly, waiting around for a date to come by and pick her up. Still, since she had first interviewed the woman a few days ago Misato hadn't been able to get that handsome face out of her mind...

The black european sportscar swung around the corner gracefully before sliding to a stop. The drivers side swung open as she got out, her short black hair styled in a boyish way, the crisp black suit hugging her slim form. She smiled warmly, brown eyes twinkling as she said, "I hope you weren't waiting long, Ms. Katsuragi."

"It's Misato, please," she answered, "and can I call you Aoba?"

Aoba Kinushima chuckled softlly as she opened the door for Misato, "I'd be honored."

'Gentlemanly, too,' Misato thought in pleasure, 'I think I'm going to enjoy tonight.'

To be continued...

Note: Aoba Kinushima is a character from the manga Maniac Road, and like most of the other EVA characters was named after a ship. I'd recomet the manga for the comedy value, as well ass the running joke involving Aoba being a bit of a babe magnet.


	29. 27

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-Seven

Yui Ikari walked back to the apartment with Rei and Asuka, conversation halting and hesitant. Her body was that of a teenaged boy, her mind was that of a grown woman and the combination wasn't all that easy to deal with, honestly.

"So how did the examination go?" Asuka asked her curiously, thinking of her own interactions with Dr. Ami Mizuno.

"Not bad," a faint smile on the boy's face. Yui tilted her head back, "I was given a physical, psychological examination and a pop quiz on synthetic organic technologies."

"Interesting," Rei noted softly.

Asuka watched the two talk and blinked. The resemblance between them was subtle but there, and there was a odd echo of mannerisms too. It wasn't just that they shared genetic data, it was as if they were both different incarnations of the same person, separated by different experiences.

"I did like Dr. Mizuno," Rei offered, "when I met her."

"Me too," Yui admitted, "she clearly knows what she's doing." A wry smile, "I almost wish I had met her years ago, we could have used her help on Evangelion."

"Hadn't thought of that," Asuka admitted as they reached the apartment that they all now shared with Misato.

Rei smiled slightly as they went inside, remembering the look on Yui's face when she saw the mess in the suite. Admittedly with school Asuka and Rei hadn't been cleaning up after Misato as much as usual, but Yui's shock at the mess had been a bit much. 'Or we're getting used to Misato,' she conceded silently.

"Who wants to order the take-out?" Asuka asked.

"Actually," Yui offered quietly, "I could make something."

Asuka looked at Yui in surprise, reminding herself that this boy was not whom he seemed to be. "Well," she said, "I'm not sure what's in the fridge..."

All three opened up the fridge and peered inside. There was a tray of snacks, soda, cans of beer and condiments, mostly. "Slim pickings," after picking up a furry something Yui had to admit, "guess I'll have to try cooking something up next time."

"You can do the take-out order if you like," Rei offered the phone.

Yui looked amused as she took the phone and chuckled, "You know, I think this is the only house in Megatokyo with the major restaurants on speed dial."

"Well, I think Ritsuko and Maya do too," Asuka defended Misato automatically.

Not long after a car pulled up outside the apartment building and Maya and Ritsuko got out, walking towards the building together. "Well," Ritsuko said to Maya cheerfully, "I think your parents took it well."

Maya looked up at the taller blonde wryly, "Well, I suppose so." She shook her head, "At least mom's happy I'm marrying a doctor."

"And I think your dad will talk to me eventually."

Maya sighed, "Well, I haven't really hinted to the two of them about me, you know."

They walked up to their apartment, Ritsuko unlocking the door. "I really haven't asked you about this stuff," she admitted as she took her coat off, revealing a conservative black dress.

"Hmm?" Maya blinked, taking her own coat off. She looked boyishly cute in dark pants and a white shirt, discrete earrings glinting.

"Coming out and all that," Ritsuko smiled at her gently. She settled on the couch, patting the cushion beside her as she continued, "I know you're out at NERV, for instance."

Maya settled beside her, sighing tiredly. "Considering how many people noticed me mooning after you," she remarked, "it was bound to happen."

"If it helps the gossip didn't reach me for awhile," Ritsuko said.

"Heh," Maya smiled slightly. She tilted her head in thought, "Well, most of my old college friends know, I was pretty active back then."

"Oh?" Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.

Maya blushed as she murmured, "The college gay society was pretty much a singles club, and I dated quite a bit."

"I suppose I should thank those girls for teaching you so well," Ritsuko purred, enjoying seeing Maya blush. She looked at Maya thoughtfully, "And your Tokyo friends?"

"A few know," Maya nodded, "but I was a bit more selective there." She hesitated, "Sempai, do you tell anyone...?"

"That you're my lover and that we're engaged?" Ritsuko smiled warmly. "Whenever anyone asks about the ring," she said simply.

Maya took Ritsuko's hand, smiling up at her happily. "Me too," she said softly, "I'm so proud that we're together."

Ritsuko stroked a hand through Maya's hair, "So do you want to eat in tonight?"

Maya shifted to gently press her lips to Ritsuko's, smiling hungrily. "What I want to eat," she said, voice husky, "isn't on anyone's menu."

"Bad girl," Ritsuko laughed as she rose swiftly picking up the surprised Maya.

"Eep!' Maya squealed as Ritsuko bodily carried her to the bedroom. Laughing she asked, "I wonder if Misato's date is going this well?"

Ritsuko set Maya down on the bed and began to undress. "We'll ask her tomorrow," she promised. Smiling as she slid her dress to the floor she commanded, "Tell talking, more kissing."

"Yes ma'am," Maya agreed, kissing her happily.

ZWING!

In another part of the city Misato ducked with a curse, the bullet whizzing by above her head. She hefted the paintball gun and glared at her companion, "Do you always take girls out to paintball after a romantic dinner?"

Aoba Kinushima just grinned back, her own goggles shielding her eyes. "You have to admit, it's different," the black haired woman pointed out.

Misato shook her head, the camouflage costume that she wore still spotlessly clean. "I'll give you that," she popped up, aiming fast and pinging several of the young men who were facing them. Ducking down again she added, "So what's the objective?"

Aoba studied her thoughtfully, "Capture the flag, basically."

Misato popped her clip, counting the pellets then slid it away. "I've always hated to loose," she narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Then follow me," Aoba agreed. With that the other woman bolted from her concealment, her speed enough to startle the nearest foes, splattering them with pain.

Misato was right behind her, taking out foes from a distance, her hours of target practice at NERV coming in good steed. Working together they advanced from pieces of cover to gradually sweep their way through the paintball forest, eventually reaching the flag and dropping the younger man waiting there.

"You know," Misato said later, a slight smile on her face as they went back to the changing rooms, "that was kind of fun, actually."

"Good," Aoba chuckled softly, putting the pistol she had used away. She remembered fondly, "I used to play with a group of construction crazies when I was younger.. I didn't think I liked it at first but I learned to enjoy it."

"How did you get into this in the first place?" Misato asked as they reached their lockers, stripping the safety gear off and changing to regular clothes.

"My big sister's boyfriend got me involved," Aoba admitted. She looked at Misato thoughtfully as they left, "Well, what do you want to do now?"

"I've had a good time tonight," Misato admitted, "but I think I'd better get back home to the kids." She gave Aoba a impish grin, "I'd like to go out with you again, though."

"Me, too," Aoba nodded agreement.

To be continued...


	30. 28

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-Eight

Yui Ikari's fingers flew across the keyboard of Misato's home computer, studying the various websites even as she clicked on a new window to enlarge it. A strong breath puffed some of the shaggy hair up and out of her eyes, her expression intent as she studied, sorted and wrote out conclusions all at the same time.

"She's almost as fast as Ritsuko," Asuka Langley admitted, her orange hair flowing down over her shoulders as she watched Yui type away in the body of her son, Shinji.

"I think that Ritsuko types a bit faster," Rei noted that calmly, her dark blue hair falling into her own eyes.

"We'll have to arrange a typing contest sometime," Yui said, hitting print then pushing away from the keyboard with a tired sigh. As her document printed out she smiled at the two women wryly, "It doesn't look like any of the Evangelion tech has leaked to the internet."

"You almost sound disappointed," Rei noted as they picked their way through the trash that covered the floor of the mini-office that they used.

"I don't think I expected NERV to keep such a good lid on all of this," Yui admitted, the three entering the living room and stepping over the dozing Pen Pen.

"They were given some pretty extraordinary powers by the UN and Japan's government," Asuka reminded them.

"A point," Yui conceded as they sat down on the couch.

The front door rattled as the key was used, then a few moments later Misato walked into the room, a red jacket slung over the black haired woman's shoulder. There was a spring to her step and a gentle smile on her face, both signs indicating that her date must have gone pretty well. "Good evening," she called to them cheerfully.

Pen Pen gave her a glare for awakening him then he closed his eyes again, soon snoring away in the center of the carpet.

"Hey Misato," Asuka called from where she and Rei had flopped down on the couch, Yui sitting in a chair nearby.

"Did you guys get something for dinner?" Misato asked as she walked by, dropping her coat off then swinging by the fridge for a can of beer.

"Yui-san ordered the takeout tonight," Rei smiled slightly, "there's leftovers in the fridge if you're still hungry."

"I'm fine," Misato laughed as she took her own seat, carefully popping her can and taking a drink, "I ate a pretty good dinner, too."

"So what did you and your date do?" Asuka leaned forward eagerly.

"Aoba Kinushima took me out to a nice dinner, we went for a drive..." Misato then trailed off suggestively.

"And?" Yui found herself asking.

"And then we played a few rounds of paintball," Misato finished.

"Paintball!" all three young people blurted.

Misato chuckled softly, "It's better than what it sounds." She looked thoughtful, "Actually, I had a pretty good time tonight."

"Does that mean you two are going out again?" Asuka asked eagerly.

Misato actually blushed faintly, "Looks like it."

"I'm glad," Rei flashed a happy smile as she added a bit hesitantly, "You've been working very hard, you deserve a break."

Misato casually waved that off, "You two have been working nearly as hard at training in the simulators and with the EVA's." She seemed to remember something and looked at Yui, "Any luck with that net search I asked you to do?"

"Yes, I left a report on your desk," Yui said calmly, "but in summary the Evangelion tech doesn't seem to have leaked out."

"Not yet, anyway," Misato puffed out a breath.

"You think there's a leak?" Asuka raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Misato shook her head grimly, "Not that I know of, it's just that so many people now have that information." She tossed an apologetic look to Yui before adding, "Whatever else can be said about Gendo Ikari, he kept the primary Evangelion data limited to a small group."

"While now the data is held by the United Nations and Security Council, many of the new staff that were hired to help rebuild the EVAs and the crews that are currently involved with the Archangels," Rei noted thoughtfully.

"The odds increase to almost a certainty that in such a large group there is someone who will release the data," Yui agreed. She looked over at Misato thoughtfully, "I'm sorry to say there's not much you can do at this point."

Changing the subject Asuka grinned, "Did you know that Maya finally brought Ritsuko over to meet her parents?"

"Who do you think suggested they should do it?" Misato laughed softly, taking a drink of her beer. A bit more seriously she continued on, "Especially now that they're thinking of doing a old-fashioned wedding."

Rei laughed softly, "I'm looking forward to that."

Yui blinked, her smile a little tentative, "The blonde scientist and that boyish young woman..." She shook her head wryly, "I'm glad that they're happy together, though I have to say I'm still getting used to the idea."

"I guess it is a bit of an adjustment to make," Misato conceded the point, thinking of how many years the woman had been trapped within the EVA Unit-01 before her spirit was accidentally dumped into Shinji's body.

Yui nodded, "I have a lot to catch up on." She looked at Misato, "Has Dr. Mizuno given her report on me, yet?"

Misato smiled, "You're cleared to work, if that's what you mean."

"Thank you," Yui puffed out a relieved breath as she said, "I thought I was going to go stir crazy waiting to hear."

"I meant to tell you sooner," Misato confessed, "but things were hectic today."

"Getting ready for her first date in months," Asuka said impishly.

"Hey, I've dated a few times!" Misato protested.

"This is the first date I've seen you go out on since I arrived here," Rei noted, exchanging a impish look with Asuka.

"Oh sure, double team me now," Misato sighed.

"We could always be triple teaming you," Asuka tossed a look to Yui.

"Oh no," Yui quickly held up her hands as she protested, "don't get me involved in this."

"Spoilsport," Rei murmured.

Misato sighed in relief, "At least I have one ally here."

"Besides," Yui added brightly, "I haven't been here long enough to see your dateless state."

"Et tu, Yui?" Misato muttered. She got up with a sigh, picking up her empty beer can, "I think I'm going to stage a tactical retreat." She gave Asuka and Rei a look, "You'd better get to bed soon, too, you've got school tomorrow."

"Yes Misato," Asuka and Rei said in a singsong voice.

Yui fought back a chuckle, getting up to follow the others out of the room. "I won't have to go to school too?" she asked.

"Thankfully I can use medical causes to keep you out," Misato said, "I don't think you could fake being Shinji for very long."

"Thank god," Yui sighed.

To be continued...


	31. 29

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Twenty-Nine

"So, how is she?" Misato asked as she watched Yui Ikari working away in the computer core, running simulations to try and determine what, exactly, might have happened to her son Shinji during the final confrontation with Adam.

"Probably hovering on the edge of a nervous breakdown," Ami Mizuno said honestly, blue hair falling into her eyes. The doctor and psychologist took a drink of her coffee, "Understandable, considering her situation."

"And you still cleared her to work?" Ritsuko asked with a frown, her blonde hair held back by a simple set of clips.

"She's as psychologically healthy as one could expect o be," Ami said frankly. "She's carrying a load of guilt over her role in the creation of Evangelion, her soul is stuck in her son's body and it appears that he's trapped in the organic construct she created..." She shrugged, "Of course Yui is having problems dealing."

"She seems so calm," Misato noted as Yui studied another set of results on a monitor screen, the boy's body she was in eerily intent.

"I suspect she's trying to bury her reactions in work," Ami said, "as well as trying to catch up with everything that happened while she was trapped in Evangelion."

"Are there any warning signs that we need to keep an eye on?" Ritsuko asked grimly.

"You've all had some training to watch for stress related burnout," Ami sighed, "keep an eye on those symptoms. Other than that try to get her to take regular breaks and interact with other staff, that should help, too."

Before Ami could leave the room Misato said, "By the way, Mizuno-san?"

"Yes?" Ami asked curiously.

"I was wondering if you were interested in a position here," Misato said, "from what I've seen, we could use someone of your skills."

Ami looked pleased, "Thank you for offering." A regretful sigh, "My own research is at a critical stage, I can't really abandon it."

"The offer's always open," Misato grinned as a young woman arrived to escort Ami out.

Turning to look at Yui again Ritsuko murmured a few moments later, "I wonder how she and the Magi are getting along?"

"Well, they don't seem to be killing each other," Misato offered brightly.

"That's not comforting," Ritsuko winced.

Down below Yui worked away even as she talked verbally with the now conscious and fully integrated computer system. "Your husband was a cad, you must admit," Magi said in her feminine tones, the voice almost holding a hint of amusement.

"The more I hear about what he did after I was gone," Yui said as she worked, "the more I'm tempted to agree with you." A pause and she said in a sad tone, "But he didn't seem to be that way when we were married..."

"Fair enough," Magi conceded. A frown, "Even worse, I can't believe that he threw my creator aside to pursue her daughter."

"Ritsuko and Gendo were involved?" Yui raised her eyebrows in surprise. A frown, "That might explain her discomfort around me..."

"I'm sorry," the Magi sounded contrite, "I didn't realize you didn't know."

"I'd guess it's common knowledge in NERV?" Yui asked it, feeling grimly certain that she knew the answer.

"Yes," Magi confirmed, "it became common knowledge when Ritsuko attempted to destroy the spare Rei clones."

"Quite the soap opera here," Yui muttered, hitting a switch to run another computer simulation. What they were trying to do was reconstruct the series of events that had caused Shinji's consciousness to leave his body to enter Evangelion Unit 01 and her own to enter his body. So far, they were batting zero.

"Insufficient data to generate result," came up on the screen again, the data scrolling by. Part of the problem was that they were trying to reconstruct the series of events via damaged image files, blurred memories and other odd occurrences between Shinji and the Unit-01. "Processing error, Abort or Retry?" the computer screen showed.

"Damn it," Yui slammed a hand down on the counter, not even noticing the pain. "I wish we had more data on Rei's final transformation..."

"I'm sorry," Magi sounded like she was, too, "my systems were under assault by the United Nations at the time, I was unable to properly record the event."

"So we're back at step one," Yui mused.

"Not necessarily," Magi answered a bit hesitantly. "In examining witness accounts of the events inside NERV, many individuals recall seeing phantom images of their loved ones."

"If it was connected to the body switch," Yui quickly saw where the computer was going, "there might have been a residue left of the energies involved. Do you have that scan data on file?"

"After the computer restart shortly after the reactivation of NERV by Misato Katsuragi, we performed a full sensor sweep of the facility," Magi confirmed, "the quantity of data involved is enormous, however."

"How enormous?" Yui asked with a sinking feeling.

"Several gigabytes worth," Magi confirmed.

"Well," Yui sighed, "at least sorting it out will keep us busy."

"Yui-san?" Maya smiled as she walked up. Setting a cup of coffee down beside her she asked, "How's it going?"

"We're achieving new and unprecedented levels of bafflement," Yui answered wryly, picking up the coffee and drinking.

Maya chuckled softly, "Is that so?"

"I'm sorry we have little progress to report," the Magi added.

"Are you eliminating some of the possibilities?" Maya asked. A smile, "From what I understand scientific progress often involves that."

"True enough," Yui conceded.

"Maya," the Magi quietly asked, "did you experience any unusual visions during the battle for NERV?"

Maya hesitated, "Why do you ask?"

"Several witnesses reported unusual phenomena," Magi answered promptly, "we were speculating that it might have a relationship with what happened to Yui."

"I..." Maya trailed off uncomfortably.

Feeling sympathetic to Maya Yui quietly said, "If you're not comfortable about it, you don't have to tell us."

"It's all right, just.. do you promise not to tell anyone?" Once Maya got their agreement she continued, "I thought that Ritsuko's ghost had appeared, honestly. She held me, it was the most wonderful feeling.. then everything went black." She shrugged, "That's all I remember."

"Thank you for your help," Magi said, sounding thoughtful.

Yui nodded, "Yes, thank you." Turning towards the computer she asked, "So you think it might have been a out of body experience?"

"It's possible," Magi conceded, "or a mass psychic phenomena."

"We could be on to something," and with that Yui quickly went back to work.

Watching the two busily at work Maya shook her head with a smile. "Well, at least that seems to have helped," she murmured before heading off to see what else she needed to do.

To be continued...


	32. Chapter 30

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Thirty

There was a soft hiss of movement as they descended the elevator moving gently downward into the depths of the NERV facility. Misato, Ritsuko, and Maya stood to one side, talking, even as Asuka, Rei and Yui-shinji stood together nearby.

"I wonder what they're being so mysterious about?" Asuka Soryuu Langley asked irritably, the orange haired young woman dressed in a NERV uniform. Her eye patch seemed to darken her face slightly, combining with her irritation to give her a grim look.

"I'm not sure," Rei Ayanami answered mildly, her dark blue hair falling into her eyes.

"Wonder if we're going all the way down to the Skunk Works?" Yui mused, brown hair just a bit untidy looking. She looked casual in her jump suit, wearing a borrowed lab coat over it and her pockets loaded with notebook, pens and personal computer.

"Skunk Works?" Asuka looked confused.

"It's the nickname the research and development wing has," Maya Ibuki said faintly apologetically, "taken from the R&D wing of Lougheed-Martin aircraft."

"Ah," Rei nodded slightly in understanding.

"Is that where we're going?" Misato Katsuragi asked impatiently, her black hair swept back from her face. Like usual she was out of uniform, wearing a casual dress and her red jacket, her rank insignia pinned on the collar. She was less than pleased with her staff being mysterious, only going along because Ritsuko had urged her to.

"Just be patient a few more moments," Maya smiled, her short brown hair and uniform giving her a decidedly boyish look.

Ritsuko Akagi looked amused as the blonde remarked, "You have to admit that Misato's never been known for her patience."

Misato rolled her eyes, "Gee, thanks."

Yui shook her head at their interactions, smiling wryly. "So how's school been going?" she asked Asuka and Rei curiously.

Asuka made an ugly face at that while Rei just smiled mildly. "It was annoying enough going to school here the first time around," Asuka complained grumpily, "it feels like it's even more of a waste of time, now."

Rei squeezed her hand gently. "I like it," she revealed, "especially spending time with our friends Hikaru, Toji and Aida."

Before anyone could comment on that they came to a stop with a soft thump, the platform resting in a simple cradle. A motorized walkway came online and Maya gestured to it as she said, "It's not far now."

"It had better be," Misato grumped as they all stepped on, "I can't even use my cell phone to check in with the office down here."

"Consider this a break from that," Asuka offered with a slight smile.

It only took them a minute or so to reach the doorway, Maya typing in the access code easily from memory. The heavy door opened up to reveal an observation platform and beyond that... a giant. Partially submerged it looked like an Evangelion at first, but the small details were slightly off. Muscular and well developed it looked healthy, much more human than an Evangelion, an almost human face gazing out from a mask that concealed the lower face.

"I'd like to present Unit-Alpha," Maya said to them with obvious pride in her voice, "the first of the new Archangels."

"I'll be damned," Misato breathed out. She had seen it in various stages of construction, of course, but seeing it fully functional was an entirely different experience.

"It's not entirely ready to go yet," Ritsuko cautioned them all, "but we're nearly there."

Yui seemed to shake herself out of her stunned silence, the boy's body she inhabited looking surprisingly mature. "I suspect it's the programming that's taking the extra time?" she guessed.

"Exactly," Maya nodded seriously, "we had to throw out the coding for the original Evangelions and start from scratch."

"Why?" Asuka asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the red painted Archangel.

"After debugging the code we ultimately found it was incompatible with the Archangel's systems," Ritsuko revealed.

"I'd like to help," Yui murmured.

"We'll be glad to have you," Maya agreed.

Quietly Asuka moved over to Rei's side, where the dark blue haired girl gazed out at the giant figure. "Are you all right?" she asked her.

Rei smiled up at her gratefully and said, "I think so." She looked back out at Unit Alpha, "It's strange, but when I'm around the Evangelions I can feel a presence within them... but there's nothing from the Archangel."

"Isn't that interesting?" Ritsuko murmured to Misato.

Misato also kept her voice down, "I guess she still has enough of Adam's DNA to maintain that connection. But why doesn't she get anything from the Archangel?"

Ritsuko and Misato made their way to one of the railings, looking out across the pool that the Archangel stood waiting in. "We've known for a while now that the Evangelions have," Ritsuko hesitated, "a consciousness or possibly a soul."

Tactfully Misato didn't mention that one of those souls might be Ritsuko's mother. "Right," she prompted her.

"With the Archangel we think we've managed to avoid that," Ritsuko continued, "but we'll need to run final tests to be sure. It's also why we needed to throw out the Evangelion operating system... it took into account the consciousness of the Unit."

"Makes sense," Misato conceded.

Yui moved over to where Asuka and Rei stood. "I noticed it's been painted in your colors," she said to Asuka, "how do you feel?"

"Excited but nervous," Asuka admitted. She looked at the Archangel, "I mean if all goes according to plan I may be flying that into space after Shinji."

Rei put a hand on her arm and squeezed, "I know you can do it."

"I haven't seen much of you yet," Yui murmured, "but I'm certain you can do it." She looked thoughtful as she gazed off into the distance, "I just wish I knew for sure he wanted to be rescued."

Asuka blinked at her in surprise, "Do you really think he's happier inside the Unit-01?"

Yui puffed out a breath as she admitted, "I don't really know. All I've got is a nagging feeling I can't quite explain."

Maya joined Ritsuko and Misato, smiling in pride as they all observed her teams' work. "I noticed it's been painted for Asuka," Misato noted.

"She is our primary pilot so far," Maya acknowledged. She looked at Misato curiously, "Are we seriously considering other pilot candidates?"

"Not really," Misato conceded, "I suppose I'm just being pessimistic."

Quietly Ritsuko said, "I know that Shinji's friend Aida has wanted to be an Evangelion pilot for awhile, and we could always approach their classmates." She saw the irritated look on Misato's face and sighed, "You originally suggested we look into it."

Maya looked a bit concerned as she saw Misato face actually get grimmer. "It is possible Asuka won't synch with the Unit Alpha," she cautioned her, "we need to be prepared."

"I know," Misato said, "I just keep thinking of what happened to Asuka and Toji. I don't want to see another child hurt that way."

"Neither do I," Ritsuko shrugged, "but our responsibilities may not leave us with any choice."

"Yeah, maybe." Misato shook off her annoyance as she addressed the group, "All right everyone, let's get out of here."

To be continued...


	33. Chapter 31

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Thirty-one

The command center was busy as Maya Ibuki stood behind the central control panel, her eyes intent. "Are you ready, Asuka?" she asked crisply, her short brown hair falling gently around her almost boyish face.

"Ready," Asuka Soryu Langley said from the pilot's seat, her orange hair clipped back, the skin tight plugsuit clinging to every curve of her body. Her black eyepatch over the left eye was a dark spot in the liquid filled chamber, the LCL surrounding and shielding her.

"Then let's do this," Misato Katsuragi said from where she sat up in the command chair, "and test activate Archangel Unit Alpha."

"Bringing on tertiary connections now," Yui Ikari said from within the body of her son Shinji, fingers flying across the controls. After a moment she said, "Tertiary connection green."

"Asuka?" Ritsuko Akagi asked calmly, the blonde haired scientist looking up at the image of the pilot before them.

Asuka sat in the control seat, one modeled after the one in Evangelion. "A slight headache," she admitted, "but other than that I'm fine." She frowned, "But I don't seem to be getting any feedback from the Archangel."

"Don't worry," Ritsuko reassured her, "you wouldn't at this point."

"Then let's move on," Asuka shrugged, hands squeezing each control grip.

"Asuka..." Rei Ayanami murmured, the dark blue haired younger woman standing over to the side, watching with concern.

"Secondary connections on-line," Yui announced after a nod from Maya, watching the display on her board. "Some feedback wobble appearing in the synronization wave-form, but well within acceptable tolerances."

Maya moved fast, leaning over her shoulder to check the reading. "Two point five percent," she murmured then up to Asuka. "How does it feel?" she asked.

Asuka had her head tilted to the side, a odd expression on her face. "It feels nice," she admitted, "I can sense the Archangel now, though the sensation is almost like there's a thick layer of glass between me and it."

"That's the protective buffer we created," Ritsuko said, "it should prevent sensory overload from the Unit to your nervous system."

"But you can sense the Archangel?" Misato asked intently.

"Yes," Asuka nodded then frowned, "but I can't move..."

Ritsuko looked up at Misato, "Do we go on?"

Silently Misato tried to get a sense for Asuka's readiness and got only confidence from the young pilot. "All right, bring first stage connection on."

"First stage, go," Yui agreed, she and Maya nearly sitting at the console together as they watched the readings like a hawk. "Feedback wobble up to three percent," Yui added.

"Still have the headache?" Misato asked Asuka quietly.

"It's a bit worse," Asuka admitted with a frown, "but still tolerable. The Archangel feels ready, can I move to out of the cage?"

"Go ahead," Maya said, keeping a half eye on the readings, "but take it slow."

Outside in the massive chamber the massive locks released and the Archangel moved forward, the humanoid fighting machine oddly graceful. Smoothly it brought a hand up, turning it this way and that, then looked around the chamber with it's oddly human looking face.

"What's moving it like?" Yui asked curiously.

"Harder than an Evangelion," Asuka confessed, "I have to concentrate harder and visualize what I'm doing." Without her awareness a bit of blood began to flow from her nose, gradually spreading out into the LCL.

"Asuka, you're bleeding," Rei blurted.

"Abort test," Misato barked, "Asuka, get Unit Alpha back in place, we're ejecting the plug as soon as you've parked it."

"Right," Asuka nodded quickly, guiding the Unit Alpha back into place, then the screen going dark as she ejected from the Archangel.

"Maya, Ritsuko, go over the test data," Misato said as she and Rei bolted from the command center, racing out into the holding pen they were using for the Archangel.

The metal walkway rang under their steps as they hurried forward, a medical team already swarming around Asuka as she got out of the entry plug. "You should lay down," one tech said as another held a cloth to her bloody nose.

"It's just a nosebleed," Asuka tried to wave them off.

"We don't know what it was," Misato corrected her firmly.

"Asuka," Rei took her hand, looking up into her eye gently as she plead, "please let them examine you..."

Asuka hesitated under Rei's warm gaze, then finally nodded reluctantly. "All right," she finally agreed, "but make it fast."

It took nearly a day to find out what happened, a short time in scientific matters but a long one for the people involved. Ritsuko, Maya and Yui pulled an all nighter going over both the test data and the medical report on Asuka, eventually coming up with a working theory.

Misato sat behind the desk of her office, the rest of them scattered around the room. "It was the Archangel's sensory data?" Misato repeated questioningly.

"Yes," Ritsuko nodded, "it overloaded Asuka's system without her knowing it, triggering the headache first, then the nosebleed."

"But that's never happened before," Asuka blinked, sitting on the couch with Rei holding on protectively to her hand.

"Because of how the Evangelions were designed they had multiple layers of defense between the pilot and the core systems," Maya explained, "in addition to the technology designed to restrain the Evangelions from acting on their own."

"Those layers also bled out a great deal of sensory imput from the Eva to the pilot," Ritsuko sighed, "much more than we really understood."

"We're going to have to rework the protective sensory barrier while keeping this event in mind," Yui finished grimly, "or possibly consider medicating the LCL with some kind of drug to try and ease the effect."

"No drugs," Asuka spoke up firmly her eye flashing angrily, "I had enough of those last time I was in the hospital."

"I hate to ask," Misato gave a apologetic look to Asuka, "but is this unique to her, or will all pilots be affected?"

"Any pilot who goes in there will suffer the same result," Ritsuko said flatly.

"Understood," Misato said mildly, "I had to know." She looked at Maya, Ritsuko and Yui, "Do we have a idea how long it'll take to fix this?"

"No idea," Maya said promptly, "it's a whole new problem."

"On the bright side," Yui added, "it gives us more time to study the transfer effect and what happened when my son vanished. Even if we use Archangel to get back Unit-01, we have no idea how to get Shinji out of there."

"I'm confident you'll work out something," Misato said, then dismissed the scientists. Walking to Rei and Asuka she asked softly, "Are you all right?"

Asuka pierced her with a intense look. "If it really was just me having the problem with Unit Alpha, would you replace me?" she demanded.

"Asuka..." Rei looked startled, looking at her with concern.

"Yes," Misato answered promptly, "to protect you from being hurt again."

Asuka hesitated then nodded slightly, "All right."

To be continued...


	34. Chapter 32

Evangelion Third Genesis: Part Thirty-two

"Shinji?"

The shocked sounding familiar voice came from behind them and Asuka cursed softly. Turning from their walk back to Misato's apartment Asuka saw three friends, all gazing in disbelief even as Yui looked on with wide eyes.

"You're all right!" Toji rushed forward as much as his cane would allow, the taller dark haired boy thumping the shaken Shinji's shoulders.

"Why are you wearing a labcoat over a NERV uniform?" Aida asked, the blonde haired boy's glasses gleaming as he studied Shinji curiously.

"Give him some room," Hikari looked at Shinji with some concern, the brown haired girl looking at Shinji's pale face with concern.

"Help," Yui mouthed silently as she gave Asuka a desperate look, brown hair falling into her eyes.

"Sorry to surprise you all," Asuka said quickly, the orange haired pilot helping ease the three of them back. She looked at Rei, "Could you get him some water?"

"Of course," Rei said gently as the dark blue haired girl took Shinji by the arm and walked Yui away.

"Who are they?" Yui asked softly once they were out of listening range.

"Shinji's classmates and friends," Rei answered.

"Nice to know he has friends," Yui sighed.

"What's going on with Shinji?" Toji answered with a fierce frown, his expression showing honest concern.

Asuka sighed, "He's been in a coma for months, guys, and he had a nervous breakdown besides. He's pretty fragile right now."

"Sorry," Aida looked a bit sheepish, looking over to where Rei was standing beside Shinji at a drinking fountain. "He even looks.. odd," he said, "if I didn't know better, I'd almost say he was a different person."

"I guess I hadn't thought of that," Toji conceded a bit sheepishly.

"Has he been awake for very long?" Hikari asked, studying Asuka with her unusually perceptive eyes.

Choosing her words carefully Asuka answered, "For a bit. We're all keeping a close eye on him, until he recovers."

"How long do we have to pretend to drink water?" Yui asked wryly as she bent over to get another drink.

"Until Asuka convinces them of a cover story for you," Rei sounded proud as Asuka talked to their friends.

"Lovely," Yui sighed.

"Are you all right?" Rei asked with gentle concern.

"I forget for hours at a time I'm in Shinji's body," Yui said, "and I'm feeling guilty about it now that I know he has such good friends waiting for him."

"It's not your fault," Rei pointed out reasonably.

"Maybe not," Yui answered firmly, "but I am responsible."

Asuka waved them over and Yui and Rei returned. "I was just explaining that you were recovering from your nervous breakdown," Asuka said as they neared.

'Terrific, now I've had a nervous breakdown,' Yui thought with amusement. Bowing slightly to them she said, "I'm sorry, I'm still trying to come to grips with everything that's happened lately."

"Hell, I know how you feel," Toji said with a surprising degree of gentleness, "take the time you need to recover."

"We'll even keep your seat open in class," Aida chimed in brightly, "maybe I'll take you camping again."

"I'd like that," Yui managed.

"Get better soon," Hikari gently hugged him. Softly she added so that Asuka could only hear, "I expect you to tell me what's really going on eventually."

"Right," Asuka agreed, noting once again that Hikari was much more perceptive than the two boys were.

"Thank you for the rescue," Yui said once the three of them were gone.

"No problem," Asuka smiled wryly. "Sorry about saying you had a nervous breakdown, but we already used the amnesia story for Rei," she explained.

"Hikari didn't really buy that story for me, either," Rei noted with a slight smile.

They continued on and Yui smiled to herself slightly as she saw Rei and Asuka holding hands once again. The two women seemed largely unaware of the small gestures they made to each other, touching, stroking a arm or holding hands like this. It was kind of cute to see.

"We're home," Asuka called as they went into the cluttered apartment. She saw Misato's shoes by the door, as well as a set that she didn't instantly recognize. 'Wonder if someone from NERV is here?' she thought.

"About time," Misato called back, "we've got company."

"Wonder who?" Rei looked curious as they headed to the kitchen.

"Probably someone we know...," Asuka started then froze as she recognized their new unarmed combat instructor sitting beside Misato.

Aoba Kinushima looked more amused than anything else as the brown haired woman shared a beer with Misato. She had been working at NERV for awhile but had only recently started as the unarmed combat instructor for Asuka and Rei, part of a program to improve both of their combat skills in Evangelion.

"We were just talking about getting takeout," Misato informed them.

"Welcome, Kinushima-sensei," Rei bowed formally.

Aoba laughed, "No need to be so formal, Rei. Hello Asuka."

"Ma'am," Asuka's voice was flat with annoyance. Aoba had quite effectively wiped the floor with her in the last training session, and it had rather annoyed her.

"Nice to see you again," Yui said. She nodded to Misato, "If you could excuse me?"

"See you later," Misato nodded.

"She looks rather stressed," Aoba frowned, "is it because I...?"

Asuka's sense of fairness won out over her irritation and she explained Yui's shyness, "I think running into Shinji's friends may have been a bit much for her to take."

"Should have phoned a warning they were here earlier," Misato scowled.

"Not your fault," Aoba said as she reached over to squeeze her arm comfortingly.

Asuka and Rei exchanged surprised glances. "Well isn't that interesting," Asuka murmured.

"I think they look cute," Rei whispered back.

"And what are you two whispering about?" Misato asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Asuka did her best to look innocent.

To be continued...


	35. 33

Evangelion: Third Genesis Part Thirty Three

Ritsuko Akagi's fingers flew across the keyboard, the older woman's eyes flicking from screen to screen as she typed. "Maya," she said casually as she typed, "do you prefer me as a blonde, or should I let my natural color grow back in?"

"I would like you with blonde or brown hair," Maya Ibuki shrugged from where she was working at her own computer nearby. The dark brown haired woman looked over at Ritsuko, "Why do you ask?"

Ritsuko smiled slightly, "I began coloring my hair for various reasons, and I'm undecided if I should stop."

"I understand," Maya agreed.

Both women were well aware of why Ritsuko had begun changing her hair color, as direct result of the illicit relationship between Ritsuko and Gendo. The older man had taken advantage of Ritsuko, using her to his advantage in his schemes and even compelling her to commit illegal acts. Even worse he had attempted to reshape her into a copy of Yui, including the coloring of her hair.

"Anyway," Ritsuko changed the subject, "I'm glad our pre-wedding talk with your parents went well."

Maya coughed slightly. "I don't know about well," she laughed.

"But I thought that every girl's parents wanted her to marry a successful doctor?" Ritsuko teased Maya gently.

"I think they'd prefer a male doctor," Maya laughed. She looked thoughtful, "Though I noticed my mother seems to be getting over her surprise quickly."

"You think they suspected something earlier?" Ritsuko raised a eyebrow.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Maya admitted, "I did have a few... strong crusjed on other girls when I was younger."

Ritsuko grinned, "Your mom told me about you, you know."

"Oh?" Maya looked wary.

"Apparently you were very protective of the neighborhood girls," Ritsuko looked impish, "they even called you big brother."

Maya blushed, "I was just..."

"Don't worry," Ritsuko squeezed her hand, "I thought it was cute."

"Would you two stop that?' Yui sounded amused as she entered the work area to find the two of them staring lovingly into each other's eyes. It was even odder when considering that the woman's persona was within the body of teenaged boy Shinji Ikari.

"Sorry," Maya nearly jumped, blushing sweetly.

"Thanks," Ritsuko took the papers Yui handed her. "So how's the feedback analysis going?" she asked seriously.

"I think we've nailed down the channels in which the feedback is at it's worst," Yui revealed, "but how to mute the sensor data in the Archangels is still unknown."

"Before we got distracted," Maya blushed again, "Dr. Akagi and I were programing a series of 'virtual blocks' to instal in the system. They might be enough to deaden the overloading sensory imput."

"It's possible," Yui conceded after a moment.

"And have you had any luck with figuring out how Shinji and you were switched?" Ritsuko asked.

"Actually," Yui flashed a smile, "the Magi and I have a working theory, based on my recollections on what it SHOULD have been and how Gendo twisted it."

"Which is?" Maya asked.

"A near miss," Yui said, "Gendo implemented some kind of program to get me out of Unit-01 and into a clone body, maybe based on homing in on my DNA. Sadly I locked onto Shinji rather than the clone and..."

"You and Shinji switched," Ritsuko nodded. She tapped a finger on her desk, "You might want to tell Misato, as well as ask her about looking into Gendo's private files. If it was his program, you might find it there."

"I'll do that," Yui smiled as she turned and hurried out of the room.

"You look disturbed," Maya noted once Yui had left.

Ritsuko sighed softly. "I'm just praying that my sabotaging the Magi to try and stop Instrumentality didn't accidentally cause this," she explained.

"Even if you did it's Gendo's schemes that caused Yui to be in Shinji's body," Maya insisted, "not you."

"Thanks, love," Ritsuko smiled.

Meanwhile, Asuka Soryu Langley brough her Evangelion's rifle up, the redhead taking aim through her one eye, a eye patch covering her left eye. "Cover my left," she ordered, "and let's take this thing."

With a cool but eager voice Rei answered, "Yes, Asuka." The blue haired girl advanced with Asuka, weapons blazing as they destroyed a false Angel, then moved on through the simulated city of Tokyo-3.

"You really enjoy this, don't you?' Asuka asked as she warily peeked around a building, her red plugsuit hugging her body.

Dressed in a similar plugsuit, but colored in blue with lighter highlights, Rei was relaxed but steady at the controls of her Evangelion. "I enjoy working with you," Rei answered calmly as they combined their fire against another Angel.

"Me, too," Asuka smiled.

In the control room Aoba Kinushima watched the ongoing fight, her short brown hair falling into her eyes in a rakish sort of way. "Those two are pretty deadly," the NERV unarmed combat instructor admitted.

Misato Katsuragi nodded her agreement, her almost purple-black hair falling in a wabve from her face. For once she was in a variation of her uniform, the grey NERV official wear, rather than her usual dress and jacket with her rank insignia pinned on. "They're very good on their own," she said, "but together they're lethal."

"So," Aoba asked with a smile, "what do you need me for?"

Misato flashed a grin, "There's always room for improvement." As Aoba chuckled softly she added, "Besides, I've noticed Rei tends to lack a... you could call it a killer instinct, maybe. I'm hoping teaching her unarmed combat might help with that."

"True," another smile quirked at Aoba's lips as she said, "the first time Rei managed a judo throw, she stopped to apologize to Asuka."

Misato snickered, "I could see that."

They watched as Asuka and Rei progressed through the virtual city, using simulated reloading points to stock up their guns as they sustematically mowed down any opposition. "And the progressive knife?" Aoba asked.

"I would like to see them get some knife training," Misato admitted, "they're good at it, but as a fallback weapon the knife's got disadvantages."

"Have you ever thought of designing a progressive sword?" Aoba mused.

Misato smiled wryly, "Maya's people are working on something like that for the Archangel, as well as a chainsaw weapon that looks like a prop from a horror movie."

"Seriously?" Aoba blinked.

"Twin blades from a oversized base," Misato described it with her gestures, "I figure someone on her tech team saw 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' too many times."

Aoba laughed, "I don't think I'd want a weapon like that, you'd hurt yourself."

"And isn't THAT a scary image," Misato gestured, "whoops, Rei, there goes your arm! Look out!"

Yui blinked as she walking in the control room to kind two grown women making chainsaw noises and laughing uncontrollably. "Should I come back later?" she asked mildly.

"Sorry," Aoba wiped at her eyes.

"Got a bit carried away," Misato said apologetically. "Have you had lunch yet?" she asked them both politely.

"No, not yet," Yui agreed. She nodded to where Rei and Asuka were double teaming another Angel, "Shall we take them from their play?"

"Guess we'll have to interupt," Aoba smiled slightly.

"We're heading out for lunch," Misato used the intercom to contact the girls, "would you care to join us?"

"Please," Asuka said.

"Yes, ma'am," Rei agreed.

"Meet you at the locker rooms, then," Misato nodded firmly.

To be continued...

Notes: Had a few readers ask why Ritsuko is blonde while not dating Gendo, so I thought I'd address that. Also, the chainsaw weapon really DOES exist, and appears in the official Evangelion PS2 game. See it and weep.


	36. 34

Evangelion: Third Genesis

Part Thirty Four

"All right," Asuka Soryu Langley said flatly as the orange haired woman tightly gripped the controls of Archangel, "let's try this again." The screen they were watching showed a split image, Asuka on one side and the almost eerily human looking Archangel bio-mechanical construct on the other side.

"Prepare unit Alpha for launch," Maya Ibuki said calmly. "Open tertiary connections one through twenty five."

"Right," Makoto Hyuga nodded, his glasses gleaming as he confidently activated the required systems. He had only recently returned to NERV but seemed to be settling in nicely, as well as adapting to his former co-worker being in charge.

"She's taken well to command," Ritsuko noted proudly from where the blonde scientist stood by Misato on the upper deck.

"Maya certainly looks more relaxed at it than I felt," Misato confessed, the black haired woman watching the goings on intently.

"You never showed it," Ritsuko smiled.

"Thanks," Misato shrugged. Raising her voice she asked, "How does it feel, Asuka?"

Asuka smiled back slightly, "No headache so far."

Rei Ayanami gave a relieved smile from where she waited on the command deck and murmured, "Thank goodness."

"Open up the next twenty five for secondary connection," Maya ordered.

"Any systems problems?" Yui Ikari asked, looking strangely out of place as a boy in a lab coat. "The new virtual barriers for Asuka may generate some problems."

"Nothing yet," Satsuke Ooi answered, her long blonde hair gleaming as the technician monitored the various systems.

"Kaede, Aoi?" Yui asked the other techs, getting positive results from both women.

"Medical monitors show green," Maya murmured then looked up, "Asuka?"

"Itching to go." Asuka quipped.

Misato chuckled softly, "Remind me to pout itching powder in her plug suit."

Ritsuko gave her a look, "You wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?" Misato smirked.

"Bad girl," Ritsuko chided.

"All right," Maya said firmly, "first stage connection, go."

"This is where there were problems last time?" Makoto asked softly as he pressed the correct set of keys.

"Correct." Yui answered softly.

"Asuka?" Rei asked, studying her girlfriend intently.

"No headache," Asuka sounded relieved as she asked, "did that feedback wobble turn up again, ma'am?"

"No readings on feedback," Kaede said, pushing up her own glasses as she checked the readings to be sure.

"Medical monitors also read clear," the third tech, Aoi, said crisply.

"Release locks," Maya commanded, "Unit Alpha, you're free to move out."

"Aye aye." Makoto grinned as he went to work, switches releasing the support structure that helped keep the usually depowered Archangel upright. With a shudder the massive booms pulled back, then with a almost inhuman grace the Archangel moved.

Rei moved forward unconsciously as she watched the Archangel take it's first few steps. "It's beautiful," she murmured.

Yui sweatdropped. "Anyway,:" she said briskly, "Asuka, you all right in there."

"Yes," Asuka growled as she made the Archangel pace around the underground enclosure, "for the third time. What do we do now?"

"Back into the locks for now," Maya said briskly, "on the weekend we'll deploy the Archangel outside the city so you can really practice maneuvering it."

"I'm looking forward to that," Misato murmured.

"So we can move forward on operation: Shinji rescue?" Ritsuko asked teasingly as they watched Asuka carefully move the Archangel back into place.

"More like recovering Unit 01. Getting Shinji out of it will be a whole other set of problems," Misato her answered grimly. She looked up at Ritsuko and asked, "Has Yue had any luck researching Gendo's files?"

"Some preliminary notes relating to the creation of the Rei clone were found," Ritsuko revealed, "but not much else yet. There's still a massive amount of data to dig through."

"That's why I haven't done much with those files." Misato grumbled as Maya supervised the shutdown of Unit Alpha, "Gendo seemed to be a compulsive notes taker. His journal was thousands of pages long..."

"We should dump it on mom," Ritsuko offered.

"The Magi?" Misato blinked, "Yeah, I suppose so. I just hope she doesn't hit anything too upsetting in there."

"She's accepted Gendo's a sleeze," Ritsuko shrugged, "at least that's what the conversation Maya overheard implies."

"What, between her and Yui?" Misato looked a bit startled. "Is it me, or is there something disturbing about their being friends?"

"It's not just you," Ritsuko admitted.

Meanwhile, Asuka smiled as she took a towel from Rei as she climbed out of the entry plug for the Archangel. "Thanks," she smiled as she toweled the LCL off.

"You're welcome," Rei said with a smile before stepping close and giving the still damp Asuka a firm hug.

Asuka pulled her close even as she murmured, "What was that for?"

"I was worried," Rei explained simply.

Asuka blushed a bit, feeling that odd tingle of pleasure inside that she got knowing that someone cared. "So was I," she conceded as they waked off, "bleeding from the nose the last two tests was not fun."

"Well, at least we know it works," Rei sighed as she cuddled close to Asuka's side.

Asuka slid a arm around Rei as they walked through NERV headquarters. "Yeah, now on to the next bit," she sighed, "training with Aoba. Can we just go home now?"

"You're not looking forward to being beaten by our new hand to hand instructor?" Rei asked her teasingly.

"Hell no," Asuka sighed.

To be continued...


	37. 35

Evangelion: Third Genesis

Part Thirty Five

"Ooof," Asuka Langley grunted as the orange haired girl was grabbed by the arm, flipped over and then hit the mat with a loud thump.

"That," Aoba Kinushima said calmly as the taller, brown haired woman offered Asuka a hand up, "is how you do the throw."

"Could I try, sensei?" Rei Ayanami asked eagerly, the dark blue haired young woman's red eyes almost shining with excitement as Asuka was tugged back up to her feet.

Asuka stretched a moment, her red plug suit clinging to her body. "I'm willing to be the training dummy," she offered.

"Heh," Aoba fought back a grin, "okay, we'll run through it step by step." With gentleness and care she showed Rei how to grip Asuka's sxtended arm, the turn, shift then a strong pull to finish the throw.

"Ready?" Rei asked her softly, then the blue plug suit clad girl smiled happily as Asuka nodded firmly.

With surprising speed Rei preformed the move, Asuka going up and over once more then hitting the mat with another thump. "Not bad," she puffed out from where she sat on her butt on the soft floor.

"Not bad at all," Aoba agreed cheerfully. Noting the time she said briskly, "I think we're finished for the day."

"Thank god for that," Asuka murmured, taking Rei's hand as she was pulled back up to her feet. She looked curiously at Aoba and politely asked her, "Will we be seeing you over at the apartment, ma'am?"

Aoba actually blushed faintly, a very cute thing on the normally butch woman. "Probably," she admitted, "though I need to call Misato to be sure."

"Then we'll see you later," Rei said cheerfully as she took Asuka's hand and they both left the training room.

Asuka's eyes crinkled with amusement as they walked together, "Poor Aoba. I wonder how much Misato enjoys making her blush?"

"Quite often, I imagine," Rei chuckled softly. She ran a finger up Asuka's arm as they headed for the showers, "Like this?"

"No tickle," Asuka jumped a bit, flushing a little as Rei chuckled wickedly.

The headquarters of NERV was a bustling place, men and women hurrying down the corridors to work on various tasks. NERV, after all, was in theory the first line of defense in case of alien invasion, a task most of them took very, very seriously.

Stripping down they put their plug suits into the wash bin, then stepped into the showers and the steaming water. 'Ahh that's nice,' Asuka thought as hot water soothed the forming bruises where she had hit the floor today. 'Well, at least I got to throw Aoba around a bit too,' she mused as she began to scrub herself with soap.

"Asuka?" Rei emerged from the steam, her small breasts a bit more pink from the hater pouring over them.

"Yes?" Asuka managed though a bit of tightness in her throat, once again faintly startled by how easily Rei could effect her.

Rei turned gracefully, "Could you wash my back?"

"Only if you do mine," Asuka agreed, reaching out to gently scrub her girlfriend's back with the sponge.

"Hmm," Rei agreed then almost purred under Asuka's touch.

'What really drives me nuts,' Asuka thought as she tried to keep her racing pulse under control, 'is that I can never be sure if she's doing this to me intentionally or not.'

"My turn," Rei turned to grab the sponge then slip with a cry.

"Hey..." Asuka moved to catch her then they both over balanced, slipping down to the floor in a splash of bubbles.

"Sorry," Rei smiled sweetly, looking down at Asuka from where she had ended up sprawled on top of her.

"You know," Aoba said from the doorway, the older woman looking amused, "there are places to do stuff like that, but the shower really isn't one of them."

Both Asuka and Rei went bright red as they scrambled to their feet. "It's not what it looks like," Asuka stammered, "she slipped and..."

"Sure she did," Aoba winked, "and I promise I won't tell Misato anything." With that the older woman sauntered off, whistling cheerfully.

"Are you all right?" Rei asked with a wry smile as they got up.

"Yeah," Asuka shook her head wryly, "though I don't think I've been this embarassed in quite a while."

Rei pondered that. "I think walking in on Ritsuko and Maya in the computer lab was worse," she finally said.

"Well, yes," Asuka agreed as they rinsed then turned the shower off, "I never would have thought of using a laser pointer like that."

Rei blushed, "It was very educational."

"In a traumatic sort of way," Asuka conceded as she turned off the water and they moved out of the large shower area to find towels and dry off.

Rei pulled on her under clothes matter of factly, but even then did so with a almost feline grace. She then donned her school uniform, the two of them having reached NERV just after school. "Asuka," she asked as she sat down on a bench to pull on her shoes, "did you have a chance to talk with Hikari?"

Asuka pulled on her eyepatch, then donned her boy's uniform in quick, efficient motions that still drew Rei's eyes. "Yeah, she pretty much got the whole Yui in Shinji's body story out of me over recess," Asuka admitted.

"That must have been interesting," Rei blinked.

"She took it pretty calmly," Asuka did up the buttons of her shirt then ticked it into the pants, "though I guess with all that's happened she's used to crazy stuff."

They collected their school bags from a locker and headed out, making their way to a elevator connecting to a surface building Misato preferred for her office. Himiko Yamada looked up from her paperwork, her oddly ash grey hair falling into the young woman's face as she asked, "Do you want me to ask if Misato can see you?"

"If you could," Rei nodded respectfully.

Himiko picked up the phone and hit a button, "Ma'am?" A smile, "Your children are here to see you."

"Don't call them that," Misato growled as she flung open the door to her office, "I'm too young to have kids this old."

"Yes ma'am," Himiko snickered softly.

"Hope we're not interrupting," Asuka said, noting a unfamiliar older man sitting in the office in a UN military uniform. He had steel like grey hair and a face marked more by laugh lines than worry, but intelligence glittered in his eyes.

"No, I think we're about done." He smiled at Misato, "Thank you for the briefing, General, and I hope our information is helpful too." With that he tipped his hat in a old fashioned way to them all, then he was out the door,

"Grab a seat," Misato waved them to chairs as she sat behind the desk, the black haired woman wearing a simple red dress.

"What was that about?" Asuka asked as she sat down on the couch with Rei sitting quite close beside her.

"This and that," Misato shrugged, "he's a old friend of Kaji's."

"Ah." Asuka made a soft noise, well aware of Misato's history with the man. 'Not to mention my own,' she silently added. Rei had a faintly confused look on her face and Asuka whispered, "I'll explain later."

"Thank you," Rei whispered back, well aware from the look on Misato's face that she didn't want to get into it.

"Some good news and bad news," Misato said briskly, "the UN has finished a investigation into the mass produced Evas and the individuals behind them. Apparently at least some of the members of SEELE are coming up on charges."

"And the bad news?" Asuka asked, feeling a bit of happiness knowing that those responsible for her lost eye were going to pay.

"There's a confirmed sighting of a rogue Evangelion," Misato sighed, "and I bet we're going to have to deal with it."

"Where?" Rei asked intently.

"Sighed in the mid-east," Misato sighed, "we'll have to talk to Ritsuko about deploying some kind of carrier system."

"Maybe not," Asuka mused softly. Seeing the othes look at her she added, "Want to bet they'll come here after us first?"

"Possibly," Rei nodded, "we are their only direct advesary."

"I like the way you think," Misato conceded. She picked up the phone, "Best put NERV on alert, just in case."

To be continued...


	38. 36

Evangelion: Third Genesis

Ritsuko Akagi frowned as the blonde haired woman typed away on the computer, a unlit cigarette dangling from her lips. As the doors to the lab swished open she didn't even look at her guest as she calmly said, "It's not done yet, Misato."

"How did you know it was me?" Misato asked her as the black haired commander of NERV walked in.

"Maya knows not to interrupt me when I'm on a roll," Ritsuko shrugged calmly, frowning as she adjusted something on her screen.

Misato walked to ger side then reached out to tap the unlit smoke. "Having problems quitting?" she asked.

Ritsuko took it out, looking at it with a wry kind of amusement. "It helps me think," she admitted, eyes never leaving the blueprint she was working on.

"Is that...?" Misato looked down at the quickly forming design.

"The modified carrier design you asked for," Ritsuko nodded. "I'm using a modified long-range transport jet as the base," she calmly explained, "then retrofitting the interior to carry a Evangelion, power system and cables."

"Or a Archangel?" Misato mused.

"I can design it to be compatable for both," Ritsuko agreed. She looked up at Misato, "Are you considering using Unit Alpha in field operations?"

"I'm debating it," Misato conceded. She put her hands in her red jacket's pockets, her black dress hugging her form, "The tests so far have been good, and Asuka's trip outside yesterday went off without a hitch."

"But that doesn't mean a combat run will go as well," Ritsuko put her smoke on the edge of a saucer sitting on the counter.

"That is the risk," Misato agreed, "but I want to be prepared either way."

Ritsuko nodded, "All right, I'll keep that in mind in the design."

Misato grinned slightly, "So how are things going with you and Maya? From the occassional noises we hear in our apartment you two seem pretty happy."

Ritsuko actually blushed faintly, "We're doing fine, thank you."

"When are you having the wedding?" MIsato asked curiously.

"Not till this current mess is over," Ritsuko admitted. "Besides, we'll need the extra time to bring Maya's poor father around."

"He's having a hard time accepting the situation?" Misato asked with a frown.

Ritsuko fiddled with her cigarette, "Thankfully, he's coming around. I rather suspect Maya's mother is having a influence, but it'll take time."

Misato patted her on the shoulder, "Well, if you need any help, call." She grinned, "I just hope you don't dress us all in hideous bridesmaid dresses."

"I'll try to find something nice," Ritsuko chuckled. She made shooing gestures, "Now I'm sorry, but I need to get back to work." She winked, "My boss is a real hard ass, you know."

"I resemble that remark," Misato chuckled, heading out with a smile.

Striding away, Misato made it a point to stop in on various offices and workers, nodding in a friendly way and making conversation. It wasn't her being snoopy, exactly, it was more a attempt to stay in the loop with as many people working at NERV as she could.

"Maya," Misato nodded to the younger woman who was supervising the work in the weapons lab. In front of them, robot construction gear manipulated various metal and alloys, gradually producing a long, thin weapon that resembled a sword.

"Ma'am," Maya Ibuki smiled with a openness that still occasionally surprised Misato, considering the things the girl had seen working here.

"Is that the progressive sword prototype?" Misato asked curiously, watching as lasers sliced into steel, shaping it carefully.

Maya nodded, her grey uniform crisp and neat as usual. "We're experimenting with the same sort of metal as used in the armor on the Evangelion," she revealed, "we're hoping that, combined with a Evangelion's strength, will be effective."

"What about the AT field?" Misato mused.

"As usual, the Evangelion will need to pierce the field before and conventional weapon can be used," Maya admitted. She smiled, "We are experimenting with a means of channeling a AT field through the blade, but it's still in the testing stages."

"Ritsuko's well along with the design for the new carrier unit," Misato mused, "but it'll be a week, at least until it's built. Keep working on this till then."

"Yes ma'am," Maya smiled. "Yui has also been a big help, both here and working with the Magi," she noted.

"You're working all right together?" Misato asked curiously.

"Certainly," Maya agreed, "she's quite nice, really. The only tome she gets cranky at all is when she'd deprived of her coffee."

'I can understand that, I get that way without my beer,' Misato admitted silently. "Well, I'll let you get back to it," she said aloud, turning and heading out once more.

Outside, in the sunlight Asuka Soryu Langley walked with confidence, her skirt swirling around her legs as she and her friends went out to the arcade. "So," the redhead asked the others, "Rei and I are on alert till further notice."

"Sucks," Toji offered, the taller young man's short black hair swept to the side by the breeze. Other than his slight limp it was impossible to tell he had once been a pilot, except for the slightly haunted look that lingered in his eyes.

"Are they expecting an attack on the city itself?" Hikari asked them, the brown haired girl frowning slightly.

"We don't know," Rei admitted, the dark blue haired young woman staying close to Asuka's side. She looked good dressed in white shirt and a light blue skirt, her hair slightly ruffled by the breeze.

"Really?" Aida looked a little surprised, the brown haired boy peering around with his portable film camera.

"Just because we're pilots," Asuka looked amused, "doesn't mean we're kept entirely in the loop." Silently she mentally added, 'Besides, I'm not sure even Misato knows if they'll actually attack or not.'

Toji lead the way into the dimly lit arcade nearby their school, "Well, I figure you'll be able to handle it."

"Thank you," Rei smiled.

As Aida took his place in front of his favorite robot fighting game he dropped a coin in and asked them, "How's Shinji doing?"

"Aida," Hikari scolded him, the brown haired girl giving Asuka a silent look.

'I'm almost glad I told her the truth,' Asuka admitted. "He's probably working a bit too hard," she answered mildly, "recovering from his breakdown."

"I suppose if anyone's earned the right to have one," Toji conceded, "it's Shinji."

"That's true," Hikari agreed. She watched Aida demolishing levels on the game an a impish look appeared in her eyes, "Asuka, why don't you try this in vs mode?"

"You can do that?" Asuka looked amused.

"Me, versus Asuka?" Aida's eyes lit up, "I'd love that!"

"Maybe all of Aida's video gaming and war otaku habits might actually pay off," Toji noted wryly.

Rei smiled slightly, "It could be fun."

'It's surprising what that smile can make me do,' Asuka admitted to herself as she sat down across from Aida and put her own coin in. Within a few moments she mastered the controls, then went looking for Aida.

"Who do you think'll win?" Hikari asked Toji softly as the two opponents stalked each other on the view screen.

"Dunno," Toji admitted, "Aida knows the game and it's rules, but Asuka's the one with real battle experience."

"There you are," Asuka murmured as her humanoid fighting robot stalked through the city streets hunting her prey.

Suddenly Aida smashed a nearby wall, revealing a power-up he used to boost the cannon he carried, firing devastating shots at the stunned Asuka. "Yes!" he crowed as explosions ringed the pilot and sent her flying backward.

"Why that little..." Asuka growled as she saw her life gage drop dangerously. While ploting a Evangelion, she had been trained to avoid property damage, but aparently here it gave you an advantage. Seizing the chance she thrashed buildings with glee, soon finding both life restorers and other power ups.

"He's in trouble," Rei predicted calmly.

What followed was a beat down of legendary proportions, where Aida had almost no chance to recover and was chased around the simulated Tokyo relentlessly. Finally she pinned him, then Asuka struck, claiming his final life points and defeating him.

"Ouch," Toji winced, "nice to see the old vicious Asuka's still there."

"What was that?" Asuka gave him a look.

"Nothing, nothing..." Toji tried to look innocent.

To be continued...


	39. Chapter 38

Evangelion: Third Genesis Part Thirty Four

Tokyo burned, the massive towers fallen to rubble and the streets lined with the dead. Amid the wreckage Yui Ikari stumbled forward, the light brown haired woman dressed in a tattered lab coat and simple clothes. "Why...," she muttered, "why?"

THOOM

The ground bucked as something immensely heavy struck up ahead, concealed by the ever present smoke and ash in the air. Somehow knowing this was the cause of the destruction Yui hurried forward, climbing over toppled cars and broken concrete as she searched.

It lumbered closer as Yui searched, it's shadow darkening the sun. She craned her neck backward to look... then froze.

The giant Yui Ikari looked down at her, her face fused on to the skull of the Evangelion. "What do you think," she smiled, blood covering her teeth, "of your greatest achievement?"

"Noooooo!"

With a broken gasp Yui sat up, her young boy's body panting with terror as she fought to get her breath under control. 'Just a dream,' she thought, 'it was all a dream.'

"Are you all right?" a voice called from the hallway. "I heard a cry..."

'Damn,' Yui sighed. "Sorry, Misato," she called back tiredly, "just a bad dream."

"Can I come in?" Misato politely asked.

Yui ran a hand through her hair, debating for a moment. "Sure," she finally said tiredly, "why not?"

Misato Katsuragi pushed open the door, the black haired woman dressed in a old t-shirt and shorts. She walked over to the bad, sitting down beside Yui and putting a hand on her arm, "Was it a nightmare?"

"Hmm," Yui nodded slightly. "The Evangelion one again."

Misato gave her a slightly sad smile. "Yui, you have no reason to feel guilty over creating the Evangelion," she told her. "Think of the good it's done..."

"And the people killed and injured," Yui countered. She smiled grimly, "I read the uncensored reports, I know how many people died in the war against the Angels."

"And how many more might have died at the Angels hands?" Misato countered, meeting Yui's eyes calmly.

"But that's not..." Yui started.

"Not the point?" Misato smiled as she squeezed Yui's arm. "You created a technology, Yui. How it was used by others is beyond your control."

Yui shrugged weakly, "My mind knows that, but..."

Misato nodded, conceding that point. "Do you want a sleeping pill?" she offered.

"Yes, please," Yui agreed. 'I notice they won't leave me the bottle,' she silently mused, 'are they that worried about me?'

In a few minutes Misato returned with water and two pills. "Here you go,: she said. Handing them over. Quietly she offered, "Would you like it if I kept you company till you fall asleep?"

"That would certainly help," Yui agreed warmly as she swallowed the pills down with some water to wash the taste from her mouth. Turning on her side she lay there for a while, waiting for sleep to come.

For a few moments Misato waited, soon seeing the tension gradually leave her body as the boy relaxed into sleep. As quietly as possible she got up and slipped out of the room, her expression troubled.

'Yui isn't sleeping well at all,' Misato fretted, pausing in front of Rei and Asuka's room. She set her hand on the door as she thought, 'I shouldn't...'

Curiosity winning out over politeness Misato eased the door open as silently as possible and peered within. Disappointingly both girls were still fully clad in pajamas, but Rei lay cuddled in the safety of Asuka's arms, the other girl holding her close tenderly even though she was still sound asleep.

'Aww,' Misato smiled, closing the door as she headed back to her own sadly empty bed. Aoba had been on duty tonight, and as much as she was tempted Misato refused to bend the rules for her own benefit. 'Down that road,' she thought as she climbed into bed, 'is the way to become another Gendo.'

The next morning the usual morning bustle went on, added a bit by Ritsuko and Maya visiting from next door. "You can't make your own breakfast?' MIsato complained as she watched over the toaster.

"But Yui-sensei does it so well," Maya Ibuki smiled, the black haired young woman wearing a casual shirt and shorts.

Yui chuckled as she checked the rice, "Thank you."

"I'm still astonished by how clean you two have gotten this place," Ritsuko noted to Asuka and Rei.

"It wasn't THAT bad," Misato blushed.

"I had to fumigate the last time I cooked here," Ritsuko sighed, exaggerating a bit.

"Toast is ready," Misato decided it was better to just ignore the comment.

"And here we go," Yui said as she dished up their food. As they all sat down to eat she asked, "So what's on the agenda today?"

"More simulator tests, I bet," Asuka grumbled as she ate. "How many times do I have to practice leaping out of that new jet in the Archangel?"

"When you can avoid hitting anything?" Rei offered mildly while she spooned up some rice and ate.

"Well, yeah," Asuka conceded the point.

"Depending on where we need to deploy," Maya said mildly as she sipped her drink, "there may be little or no landing room available." Seriously she added, "I'd be criminally negligent if I didn't prepare you."

"And the new transport is somewhat different than our original," Ritsuko added through a mouthful of toast. "You can't just easily be dropped off, sorry to say."

"The added armor?' Misato guessed.

"We are flying the EVAs into what might be enemy territory," Ritsuko noted, "the transports need to be able to take a hit if needed."

"Drink your coffee," Yui nudged Misato gently, "you have a meeting this morning with the business bureau."

"Oh lord," MIsato winced visibly. "Can you cook up some kind of emergency to get me out of it?" she looked at Ritsuko and Maya.

"That bad?" Maya asked, amused.

Asuka leaned forward and said, "They want to have a election for Mayor. And guess who they want to run?"

"Misato?" Ritsuko chuckled.

"They asked," Misato admitted, "but I told them hell no."

"But you'd make a good mayor," Ritsuko teased.

"Or at least a interesting one," Rei noted.

"I'll agree with that," Yui said as she finished off her serving of rice and pushed her plates away.

"Et Tu, Yui?" Misato rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'd have to resign from NERV to run," she pointed out, nearly finished her own food.

Much more seriously Asuka admitted, "We wouldn't want that."

"What time is it?" Ritsuko asked as she finished her drink. When Rei calmly pointed at the clock on the wall she paled, "Maya!"

Maya also looked up and winced, "We'd better hurry."

"Hurry for what?" Yui wondered.

"Conference call with Maya's parents," Ritsuko said glumly, "we're trying to convince them I'm not corrupting their little girl."

"Corrupting?" Rei wondered.

"Having sex with," Asuka noted as she polished off her food.

"Asuka!" Maya blushed.

"Does that mean you're corrupting me?" Rei asked ASuka innocently.

Asuka went beet red.

Misato fought back a smile as she addressed her two charges, "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

"Not right now, no," Asuka managed, blushing fiercely.

Yui looked at both of the girls oddly before managing, "Congratulations."

"Something wrong?" MIsato asked softly as she helped Yui clean up dishes before leaving for work.

"I'm just finding it a little odd getting used to the idea that my clone is a lesbian," Yui admitted.

To be continued...


	40. Chapter 39

Evangelion: Third Genesis

Part Thirty Five

The battlefield was raging with sounds, weapons blazing as the armies fought across the desert wasteland. Tanks exchanged fire as missiles raced back and forth, men hunkered down in bunkers as they tried to survive.

"Is it coming?" the commander asked, his sand colored clothing providing him some cover in the dry, arid lands.

His second frowned, the black haired man wearing a white hood to try to screen out the worst of the sun. "It's on the move," he revealed, "but estimated time of arrival is unknown."

"We've paid enough for their assistance," the commander grumbled as the first shots of another round whizzed by, "they could at least tell us..."

THOOOM.

Both men jerked to a stop as their eyes widened. Turning they looked out to the desert, eyes searching the haze until a figure seemed to emerge from the haze. It looked human, but only broadly as it's arms and legs were eerily distended. It's face was entirely covered by a eerie helm, only the red glowing eyes visible as it strode across the sands, a massive metal axe at the ready in it's one hand.

"Is that...?" the lieutenant asked weakly.

"Evangelion," the older man nodded grimly.

Without a word it advanced, stepping carefully over their lines as the massive entity advanced on their enemy. Panic raced through them as they desperately opened up with everything they had, sending tank shells, rockets and bullets out only to see them stopped instantly by the AT field.

The first swipe of the great axe was pure slaughter as men were reduced to splatter, then the robot moved in on the machines. Explosions flared and men screamed as it relentlessly destroyed, tearing apart defenses and swiftly reducing the enemy force to rubble. It stood in the wreckage a moment then moved on, lumbering away out into the sands until it was consumed by the waves of heat off the sands.

It took some time for the commander to emerge from under the jeep, gazing across the way at the devestation before them. "Do you think...," he gulped, "there were any survivors?"

"I don't know," the younger man managed to get out. They looked across at the fire and wreckage, "Should we... send someone to look?"

Another explosion rang out as a tank's fuel went up, sending metal flying but otherwise carrying no more noise. "I really doubt it," the commander said bleakly.

The Evangelion unit walked across the sands, lumbering a bit as it headed northward until it reached a tall structure. The building looked strange out in the sands, like someone had plucked a skyscraper and dropped it down on the desert, but it stood proud and firm in the sunlight. The Evangelion walked up and the front of the building folded out, revealing a compartment that the massive machine stepped into, the panels covering it as the whole building disappeared beneath the shifting sands.

The underground facility was barely a shadow of NERV's geofront, but it was still respectably sized as the Evangelion dropped from the surface down a shaft into the holding bay. Restraints and walkways swung out to contain it then the entry plug ejected, the silver tube moving into place by a ramp. Medical teams raced forward as the hatch popped free helping the brown haired woman out.

Mana Kirishima climbed out, easily accepting a hand from one of the young men. The reddish brown haired girl patiently waited as a doctor checked her over, then the green plugsuit clad woman hurried down the walkway to the lockers. Emerging in a simple military style uniform in black and silver she walked at a more calm pace to a elevator, the walls of the shaft lined with rooms filled with busy people.

The office was about halfway up the shaft, a armed guard waiting outside the door. He nodded respectfully to her as he pressed a intercom switch, "Ma'am, Lt. Mana Kirishima is here to see you."

"Send her in," the woman replied.

"Thank you," Mana nodded to the guard as the door swished open and she stepped inside. The office was simply decorated, with only a few photos on the wall, the floor inscribed with symbols similar to astrology. The desk was a older type, a bit battered but still usable, but Mana found her eyes going to the woman waiting within.

"Welcome back," the similarly uniformed woman said, her short black hair framing her face, a simple pair of round sunglasses covering her eyes.

"Commander Rokubungi," Mana saluted, "the mission went well."

"I know," Nao Rokubungi replied, "I was monitoring mission telemetry. I'm sorry you had to become involved in such a trivial matter, but they were fighting dangerously close to NERV station Alpha."

"Of course, ma'am," Mana nodded, "quite understandable."

Nao returned to her seat, placing her hands in front of her thoughtfully as she mused, "Any difficulties? I know Unit-14 is more touchy than earlier designs..."

"So far, we've had no difficulties," Mana replied, "out tech teams have smoothed out the control interface, and I'm needing 35 less pain-killers to operate it."

"We're working on stealing a original interface from Tokyo-3," Nao confessed grimly, "once we do you should no longer have to deal with painful feedback."

"Thank you ma'am," Mana replied quietly.

Nao gave her a perceptive look, seeing how tired the girl actually was. "You'd best rest up," she ordered gently, "we'll have more work for you tomorrow."

Ignoring the girl's protests Nao ordered her to her room, then walked to her window and gazed down at the Evangelion in it's restraints. This was the inheritance from her father Gendo and mother Naoko, the peak of human creation and her own greatest achievement. Or it would be, when she proved the superiority of her work.

'Mother,' Nao thought, 'is this enough?'

Naoko Akagi had been chief scientist of GHERIN, working on the early Evangelion units when she became pregnant by her lover, Gendo Ikari. Unwilling to stop her work she had the fertilized egg implanted in a surrogate, but Naoko died before the child was born. Raised by allies at GHERIN her daughter Nao developed her intellect and learned from her mother's journals, as well as contacting the computer Magi.

'Which I can't do now,' Nao thought grimly, her hand clenching into a fist. Somehow the Magi had become impervious to outside contact recently, even using the back doors her mother had installed in the system. Nao didn't know why, but she suspected the new commander of NERV was responsible, Misato Katsuragi.

Restless Nao left her office, walking the halls as she visited various sections of the underground facility. Built by NERV as a emergency base it was left untouched by the war between SEELE and Gendo, and had continued with it'd development of Evangelion. However, it had been created secretly by Gendo, supplied covertly and was therefore without the latest technology. Worse, they were cut off with the death of their patron Gendo, and were now attempting to continue their work entirely without support.

'Just replacement parts alone are hideously expensive,' Nao mused as she walked through the technology division, 'which is why we needed to sell our Evangelion's services as a mercenary.'

Shiro Tokida nodded respectfully to her as she passed, the older man supervising checks on Unit-14's limbs. The former chief of the Jet Alone project Nao had made him a offer to escape the humiliation of that project's failure, instead using his skills to develop and maintain this new technology.

"How are the system's holding up?" Nao asked, looking over his shoulder and studying the readouts knowingly.

"Our cyborg limbs are grafting well on the basic Evangelion core," Shiro pointed at the image of the organic center of Evangelion in blue, the robotic arms and legs in red, "no signs of rejection yet."

"Good," Nao nodded, "and the feedback issue?"

Shiro deflated a bit at that, "No progress yet, ma'am. In essence we're using the pilot as the brain of Evangelion, and the stress is immense."

"NERV solved the problem," Nao noted mildly, "we can too."

Shiro nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

As Nao left she thought, 'Maybe I need to remind him there are still people looking to charge him for the near nuclear failure of Jet Alone. He could use some... motivation.'

Security was next, Nao pausing to run through staff listings and estimates of their fighting forces. With the possibility of NERV moving against them as well as political instabilities in the region they needed a strong fighting force other than Unit-14, and they maintained a security force 300 strong.

After that Nao made her way downwards, reaching the basements and the heart of NERV Alpha... a pulsing, living piece of the life form found in the geofront beneath Tokyo-3.

"Lilith," Nao murmured as she stood on a platform and watched as LCL fluid pumped from the piece of flesh, the same material they grew their Evangelion from. Did it feel pain, she often wondered, or have any awareness of the world around it? Or was it merely a piece of flesh, growing mindlessly to try to replicate it's 'mother?'

"Either way," Nao murmured to herself, "you are mine. And I will never surrender you to anyone else."

To be continued...


	41. Chapter 40

Evangelion: Third Genesis

Part Thirty Six

Misato Kisaragi sighed as she entered her office, glad that the latest meeting was over. The black haired general didn't necessarily mind handling all the administrative work that went with running a organization like NERV, but there were certainly days where she'd gladly shoot someone to get away from it all.

"Would you like me to get you some coffee, ma'am?" Himiko Yamato asked from the doorway, her ash grey hair held back by a set of golden hairclips.

"If you wouldn't mind," Misato smiled as she sat at her desk and called up her desktop. Absent mindedly she checked her computer's progress in cracking the latest section of Gendo Ikari's encrypted files, noting they were at ninety five percent completed. 'Wonder if I should wait?' she mused silently.

"I'll be right back," Himiko smiled as she hurried off.

Misato stretched her legs out, setting her feet on her desk as she reclined backwards in her chair. It had been a long morning so far, running from a meeting of the city's business leaders to receiving the latest briefings on the mid-east conflicts. She frowned slightly, wondering why the latest reports bothered her so much.

Himiko entered carefully balancing a cup of coffee and a donut, dropping both on Misato's desk. "Here you go," she said as she put them down.

"Thanks," Misato said as she reluctantly sat up again.

"Do you want me to hold any calls for a bit?" Himiko asked. A impish twinkle appeared in her eyes, "Or just tell them you're out?"

"Just hold," Misato smiled wryly as she picked up her coffee and took a drink, "I can't let myself play hokey too often."

"Right," Himiko nodded briskly, turned and went to the outer office.

'What a woman,' Misato mused as she picked up her donut and munched while she also went over all the paperwork that had arrived while she was out doing the morning meetings, 'I'd be lost without her.'

Aoba's latest report on the girl's martial arts training was very positive, with the added note that Asuka was really showing signs of developing a real killer instinct. Rei, on the other hand, was better as a defensive fighter and showed a marked reluctance to hurt anyone.

'Interesting,' Misato mused. She wasn't too surprised to hear that Asuka was doing well at this, all things considered. She had a dark streak in her, one she had not controlled too well in the past, and Misato hoped the girl would have more luck managing it now.

Maya's latest budget made Misato wince, but she couldn't really blame the girl. She was currently juggling building a Archangel Unit-2, refitting the transport planes and refining the onboard AI of their first unit, all of which took time and money. She signed at the bottom as she approved the increase in funds, but she knew the UN was going to yelp over it.

Yui's final report on the body switch was also less than encouraging. Rather apologetically she explained that without further data on the event she and the Magi couldn't reconstruct the events that caused the switch, nor could they determine what might be needed to reverse it. Of course they would continue to work on it, but at this point they were not expecting any sudden breakthrough.

'So,' Misato wondered as she set the memo aside, 'what do we do if we reach Evangelion Unit 1 and can't remove Shinji from it?' She rubbed her face with her hands, 'Damn it, we can't just leave him there... can we?'

"Misato," Himiko stuck her head in the door, "the new representative of Japanese security is here to see you."

Misato sighed, "Send him in."

"Her, actually," the dark purple haired woman said pleasantly as she walked in carrying a briefcase, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses. "Motoko Kusanagi, at your service." the military dressed woman said as she sat down across from her.

"Major, I see," Misato noted.

"An acting rank," Motoko admitted as she opened up the metal briefcase, "my branch of the service is somewhat more informally organized."

"Ah," Misato's mind raced, "Internal Security? Or..."

"Public Security," Motoko smiled slightly, "and I can't tell you which section, ma'am. That's need to know."

"Fair enough," Misato conceded even though she felt a flash of resentment. 'Remind me to ask my contacts in intelligence about her,' she mused. Aloud she said, "So, you have a briefing for me?"

Motoko popped the locks on her case, removing several files as she answered, "Yes, ma'am. A spy satellite managed to capture some images we'd like you to look at..."

Misato took the printouts and glanced at then before stopping with a frown. It resembled a Evangelion but more angular, almost awkward looking with glowing red eyes gazing out of a featureless helm. It's primary weapon other than it's strength was a massive axe it carried around with inhuman ease.

"A Evangelion," Misato said flatly then frowned again as she noticed odd details on the massive construct.

"Yes?" Motoko asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Hold on," Misato said as she called up schematics of the various Evangelions on her computer, studying the data as she compared it to the mysterious new unit. "It looks like someone took a mass production unit," she showed Motoko the image, "but grafted on different arms and legs."

"It certainly looks like it," Motoko gave Misato a thoughtful look, "are you certain?"

MIsato shrugged, "I'll run these images by our scientists, of course, but I've been working with Evangelion for years."

"Fair enough," Motoko nodded. She sat back with a frown, "We filmed it coming out of the desert near Saudi Arabia, but where it came from or went to we don't know."

"Even with the eye in the sky satellites?" Misato sounded surprised.

"Sandstorms," Motoko scowled, "we couldn't see a thing through them."

"Damn," Misato sighed. She looked at Motoko thoughtfully, "I assume you want us to deal with this?"

"My employer does, yes," Motoko agreed, "whomever is operating that thing is destabilizing our regional interests."

"In other words, the government is worried about our oil supply," Misato guessed, rolling her eyes.

Motoko hid a smile, "Something like that."

Somewhat more seriously Misato continued, "We've been preparing to investigate rumors of a rogue unit, but I never expected to get confirmation this soon. We're not ready."

Motoko nodded as she said, "I won't pressure you to move now, I'm well aware of how badly a operation can go wrong if it's rushed."

"Thank you," Misato nodded.

"But," Motoko added a warning, "I can't promise the government or other agencies won't act if you don't."

"Understood," Misato said as the woman left several photos and a data disk on the desk.

"I thought you would," Motoko agreed as she closed her briefcase and excused herself.

Within a few minutes Misato had called Ritsuko and Maya up to her office, then after a moment's thought added a call to Yui Ikari too. Ritsuko has a faint blush on her cheeks, as did Maya, and Misato wondered what she might have interrupted.

'Sorry,' Misato thought as she passed the photos over, "Take a look at these."

"Damn..." Ritsuko muttered.

Maya peered over her lover's shoulder, her own eyes widening as she said, "That's the rogue Evangelion?!"

"It appears so," Misato agreed as she added, "we just received this data from certain intelligence agencies."

Yui Ikari bustled in, her brown hair slightly messy as she smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she said, "I was working on a simulation with the magi."

"Thanks for coming," Misato said respectfully.

"Yui," Ritsuko turned in her seat, "what do you make of this?"

Yui Ikari blinked in surprise, "That's the GHERIN design. Is that a archival photo?"

"What?" Misato, Ritsuko and Maya blurted out.

Yui looked at them with a certain amount of confusion as she explained. "It's a early design of Evangelion developed back when we were still called GHERIN. We used cybernetics for the arms and legs because we were still having difficulties growing Evangelion's body..."

"It's not a archival photo," Misato managed to recover her wits enough to say, "someone has deployed it in the Mideast."

Maya's eyes shone with excitement, "We'll have Magi call up those files, see if we can find any weaknesses we can exploit." She turned to Yui, "We'll be counting on you, too."

"Anything I can do," Yui agreed.

"Would you excuse us?" Ritsuko said to Misato as she looked with some amusement at her two eager co-workers.

"Go to it," Misato agreed as they hurried out.

To be continued...


	42. Chapter 41

Evangelion: Third Genesis

Misato Katsuragi felt bad as she left the principal's office, the black haired woman dressed in a woman's business suit rather than her normal skirts. 'I wish we didn't have to lie,' she admitted as she walked down the hall by classrooms and students.

"Miss Misato," Aida grinned, the young man looking her over as covertly as possible. Of course being a teen he didn't manage it that well, but at least he tried.

"Aida," Misato smiled wryly as she walked with him back towards his classroom, "how are Toji and Hikari?"

"As mushy as ever," Aida rolled his eyes and Misato laughed, excusing herself to go duck into a nearby bathroom.

Washing her hands afterwards Misato found her thoughts returning to her conversation with the school principal. 'It's not like I can tell the poor woman the truth,' she admitted wryly, 'that Shinji Ikari is possessed by his mother's ghost and can't attend school because of it.'

Pausing by one of the doorways Misato covertly peered inside. Asuka Soryu Langley sat in one seat, the black eye patch she still wore over her left eye giving the red head a oddly pirate like look. Nearby Rei Ayanami listened attentively to their teacher, yet part of the blue haired woman's attention was focused on Asuka.

'Damn they're cute,' Misato had to admit before turning away from the classroom and heading for the parking lot.

"Man she's fine," Toji sighed in admiration as he peered out the window with several of the class's young men.

Whap! Hikari calmly whacked him on the back of the head, the rest of the class watching the show with some amusement. "Dummy," Hikari sniffed.

"Hey, I can still look," Toji said as he rubbed the back of his head. He added, "Besides, the only person I want is you."

Hikari smiled slightly, "Thanks."

"If they get any cuter, I may be sick," Aida sighed.

Asuka chuckled softly, "Mean, Aida. Very mean."

"Sorry," Aida admitted sheepishly. He looked off into the distance, "It'd be so nice if something interesting would happen to me...."

Both Rei and Asuka paused as they imagined the kind of trouble Aida could get into if he became a pilot. "Trust me," Asuka said seriously, "it's better to have a quiet life." She shook her head mentally, mildly shocked she could think that.

"Hmm," Rei agreed, nodding slightly.

Aida took out his digital camera and began running through the images. Stopping at one he showed it to Asuka, "Is this a new design NERV is testing?" he asked eagerly.

Asuka blinked, faintly surprised to see the top secret Archangel striding across the screen. "How did you get that photo?" she growled.

"I'm a fan," Aida gave her a look.

Asuka sighed, "Right, right. Just don't let Misato catch you sneaking on base, okay? I don't know how forgiving she'd be."

"She wouldn't...," Toji hesitated.

"She might not," Rei pointed out mildly, "but the United Nations might be less amused by Aida's antics."

Aida paled a bit, "I hadn't thought of that."

"And no," Asuka smiled as kindly as she could to take the sting out, "I can't tell you about the new design yet."

"Top secret?" Toji guessed.

"Above even that," Rei nodded seriously. "If I told you it's security rating I'd have to kill you."

Hikari watched both Toji and Aida pale, but she also noted a slight twitch of Rei's lips. 'She's teasing them,' Hikari thought as she hid her own smile, once again marveling at the change in their formerly nearly silent classmate.

"Please, no killing in the classroom," Asuka grinned.

Finally realizing their legs were being pulled both Toji and Aida relaxed a bit. "Should I erase the photos?" Aida wondered.

Asuka hesitated, "No, but don't flash them around too much, okay?"

"Fair enough," Aida agreed. He did not want to get NERV upset, considering what the agency was rumored to have done in the past. Not that he thought Misato would do those things but....

"All right, everyone," the teacher hurried in, "lunch break's over, let's get to work...."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"This is really, really embarrassing," Maya Ibuki noted, the young woman dressed in a skin tight bodysuit colored in a unflattering green and black.

"I think it looks good on you," Ritsuko noted as she studied readings on a monitor. "Can you stretch in it?" she asked, smiling slightly.

"I'll try," Maya said as she shifted, the material clinging to her body in a unnatural way.

'Hmm,' Ritsuko licked her lips as she saw Maya's pert breasts move under the uniform, then shook herself. "Looks like all the connections read green for the new plug suit," Ritsuko noted, "how does it feel?"

"A bit tight," Maya admitted as she bent over to touch her toes, "but it does give good freedom of movement."

"Bullet proof, too," Ritsuko noted, "though I hope our pilots never have to test that feature out."

"Me too," Maya twisted around, giving Ritsuko a view of her ass too.

'We should get one of those for home use,' Ritsuko mused, feeling her heart race a bit. Maya was sexy enough with her slim, athletic body and having it coated with the tight plug suit gave it a odd, erotic edge.

"What are you thinking?" Maya asked, seeing the look on her lover's face.

Ritsuko blushed furiously, "Nothing, nothing."

Maya walked over, her smile now somewhat teasing as she sighed, "You are such a pervert, sensei. You were having naughty thoughts of me in this suit?"

"Well, yes," Ritsuko admitted weakly.

Maya leaned forward to her and murmured, "Don't worry, I already sent one home for later."

Ritsuko laughed, "And you call me a pervert?"

"That must be why we get along so well," Maya agreed. She walked back to the scanning area, "Now, let's get this done, okay? We can play later."

"Sure," Ritsuko agreed as she went back to the testing station. 'This new plug suit may help Asuka deal with her feedback issues,' she silently mused, "and I wonder if we can apply the technology to other areas too?'

"And now you have that mad scientist look on your face," Maya sighed.

"Imagine a neural interface system for cars and planes," Ritsuko grinned, "if we can adapt the technology, it could help the world."

"Don't you have to be in LCL to make it work?" Maya pointed out gently.

"Point," Ritsuko admitted, "driving around in a tub of Tang wouldn't be fun."

To be continued....


	43. Chapter 42

Evangelion: Third Genesis

Part Thirty Eight

The Evangelion Carrier descended like clockwork, the heavy freight hauler extensively modified to carry the massive entity. Within the Archangel waited to be deployed, the buffed up humanoid figure held firmly by massive clamps.

"Moving within range of target," Misato announced from where she was monitoring events in the command center.

"Ready to go," Asuka said confidently, a smile on her face, her eyepatch giving her a more pirate like look.

"Anti-aircraft missiles on radar!" Maya Ibuki yelped a warning, the commander going pale as she ordered, "Evade!"

"We're too low!" the pilot cried as the plane wobbled into a attempted turn, "It's too close!"

Asuka cursed loudly and inventively as the missiles exploded in a spread all around the carrier, enough hitting it to severely damage one wing. What was a controlled descent soon became a wild plunge, the plane burning brightly as it raced towards the hard earth.

"Eject the Archangel!" Ritsuko yelled out the order, her hair fading from blonde to brown as she let it return to it's natural color.

"And the pilot too," Misato noted dryly.

"Clamps are fused!" the carrier pilot sounded desperate as he hit switches and pulled leavers, "No way to release Archangel!"

The carrier, still holding the Archangel in a death grip, spiraled down and crashed, crumpling up and burning wildly. After a moment the remaining fuel tanks in the carrier went up, the explosion engulfing the wreckage and the Archangel.

"Asuka!" Rei yelped, the light blue haired girl watching the screen with alarm, her school skirt flowing around her legs.

"I'm all right," Asuka sounded frustrated, "but the Archangel is pinned! I can't get enough leverage and get free."

"Oh hell," Ritsuko whimpered as if almost on cue a rogue Evangelion emerged from the desert sands, striding towards the fire.

The misshapen, inhuman machine studied the scene for a moment, then picked up a good sized piece of wreckage. Stepping close it used the metal as a improvised club, pounding on the Archangel's head and shoulders as Asuka cursed furiously.

Misato ran a hand through her hair as she got up from where she sat above them, watching. "I think we can shut the simulation down...?" she said with a sigh.

"Agreed," Maya said, hitting the switch to end the simulation and revealing the Archangel sitting safe and sound nearby, a very annoyed Asuka sitting in the cockpit.

"All right, we'll meet in briefing room one for a review in a half hour," Misato smiled wryly, "don't be late. I'm ordering in lunch."

"How did it feel going down in flames?" Maya asked Makoto Hyuga, the brown haired man having been filling in as the carrier pilot.

"Not fun," Makoto admitted. He smiled wryly, "Wonder who programmed in the surface to air missiles?"

"Wanna bet Misato?" Yui Ikari offered, looking disturbingly adult dressed in a labcoat over her son's borrowed body.

Meanwhile Rei was helping Asuka out of the entry plug, the smaller woman helping her towel off. "Damn it, that was cheating," Asuka grumbled as they walked away from the Archangel.

"We don't know what defenses might be waiting for us," Rei offered mildly as she reached out to take Asuka's hand.

Asuka wanted to argue, but she knew Rei had a point. So far they had just practiced doing unopposed landings on actual airstrips, nothing like a possible combat drop. "Damn it," she sighed, "I guess we have to expect the enemy to fight as dirty as Misato."

"Or as dirty as Aoba," Rei noted, referring to their rather underhanded martial arts teacher.

Asuka shuddered, "That's frightening."

Most of the crew was already gathered there as Misato was organizing the boxes of takeout. "Food first," she decided cheerfully as paper plates were also gotten out, "we'll eat and talk about the test at the same time."

"Won't that kind of spoil the meal?" Yui asked wryly.

"Nah," Ritsuko said as she dished up for herself and Maya, both women sitting close together. "Besides," she added, "if it gets really annoying I'll just concentrate on feeding Maya."

"Heh," Asuka chuckled as she loaded up her plate and Rei's.

"All right," Misato asked seriously between bits of takeout, "what went wrong?"

"You fired a surface to air missile at us?" Motoko noted dryly.

"Before and after that," Misato pointed with her fork.

"We didn't do a spin around the field at higher altitude," Maya offered as Ritsuko fed her some sweet and sour pork, "we might have spotted the launchers."

"Exactly!" Misato agreed excitedly.

Asuka forked up some rice with pork, blowing on it before eating. "From how high up can we safely drop the Archangel?" she wondered. "I mean, that way we could keep the carrier well above missile range, maybe."

There was a long moment of dead silence as everyone considered that. "You know," Misato had to admit, "I have no idea." She looked over at the science types questioningly, "Ritsuko, Maya, Yui?"

"It's a good question," Ritsuko admitted, unaware a noodle was stuck to her chin. "We'd have to run some simulations on it...."

"Here," Maya plucked the noodle with a chuckle. She looked at Misato, "It's possible it could be dropped even higher if the AT field is used to cushion the landing."

Yui shook her head wryly as she said, "Let's not jump ahead of ourselves. First we'll run some simulations, then we'll give you answers."

"Fair enough," Misato agreed.

Rei hesitated, "I was very... distressed, when Asuka was trapped in the burning carrier. Why couldn't she get free?"

Ritsuko fielded that question, "To carry the Archangel, the new Carrier has to have a substantial structural strength. To be honest, even I didn't realize she couldn't bust out."

"There were some special circumstances too," Motoko noted dryly, still stinging a bit from being shot down, "the crash crumpled the virtual airframe around her."

"Can we modify the design with safety features?" Misato asked seriously.

Maya hesitated, as did Yui. "Possibly," Yui admitted as she frowned boyishly, "on one hand we need to keep the structure intact, but it needs to break away on cue...."

"Install explosive bolts?" Maya offered thoughtfully.

"Those could work," Ritsuko mused, "though I'd be concerned about accidental detonation."

"All right, folks, I want proposals on my desk tomorrow," Misato informed her team, "we'll work modifications into the simulator and see how they play out. We're on a clock with these new Evangelions, and I want us to hit the ground running."

There was some grumbling as the team broke up into smaller groups talking and eating, but Misato could take that. She knew it had been a bit unfair suddenly dropping the missiles into the program, but they needed to be ready for worse case scenarios. And speaking of worse case....

Ritsuko looked up from where she was talking to Yui and Maya. "Yes?" she asked politely.

"Evangelion Unit-02 is still functional, right?" Misato checked. She didn't think the science team had salvaged it for parts, but you never knew....

"Fully functional," Maya nodded, clearly not aware where her boss might be going with this.

"How hard would it be to reconfigure it for a new pilot?"

To be continued....


	44. Chapter 43

Evangelion: Third Genesis

Part Thirty Nine

It was another busy morning at NERV headquarters, two women walking out the elevator and up the hall. Himiko Yamada smiled warmly as the ash gray haired young woman followed Misato into her office. "I have the report from the JSSDF on the attack on NERV shortly before Impact," she said respectfully as she set the documents on the desk.

"Is anyone actually taking responsibility?" Misato Katsuragi asked dryly, the black haired woman sitting at her desk as she flipped through it.

"Do you really think I'd read a confidential report?" Himiko asked innocently.

Misato gave her a look, "Yes, actually."

Himiko shrugged as she gave in, "Supposedly, the general responsible for ordering the attack thought he was operating under legitimate orders."

Misato snorted in disgust, "Including shooting defenseless lab techs and personnel who surrendered?" She found the conclusions page and read, "Well, at least they're dismissing the bastards. Any chance they'll face trial?"

"Reading between the lines, no," Himiko admitted.

Both of them knew that pressing charges would open up the whole complicated situation of what the entity formerly trapped in Terminal Dogma had done to people's minds in and around Tokyo-3, and what had and had not happened there. The government seemed willing to just let sleeping dogs lie, in this case.

"Asuka's going to be pissed," Misato predicted. In fact she was angry too, even though she was older and understood the political realities.

Changing the subject Himiko said, "Simulations and trials for Archangel are scheduled today, and NERV staff are starting testing Unit-02 with synch scans of pilot candidates."

"Hmm," Misato grunted. She still wasn't sure it was a good idea to look into finding a new pilot for Unit-02. Still, the Evangelion cost enough to bankrupt a small country, and not piloting it seemed a criminal waste. Besides, if they didn't find a pilot it was quite possible the Japanese government would do it for them.

Himiko added gently, "I've uploaded your schedule to your desktop, but we can rearrange things as necessary."

"Thanks," Misato smiled back as she flipped open several files while also booting up her desktop and Himiko excused herself.

Walking out to her desk Himiko went through the messages, sorting material before passing it on to her boss. Urgent stuff was tagged first, then standard day to day stuff and the final pile was unsolicited materials which could be reviewed or ignored.

Aoba Kinushima stuck her head in the door, about a hour later. The brown haired woman was warmly charming, but Himiko found it hard to approve of her. Part of it being the whole working with someone who you're dating thing, she knew.

"Hi, Himiko," Aoba smiled, "is Misato busy?"

"I think she'd fit you in," Himiko admitted as she waved for her to go in. "Just don't take too much of her time, all right?"

"Will do," Aoba agreed as she walked across the outer office, opened the door to Misato's room and headed in.

Himiko shook her head wryly, glad the office was sound proofed. Not that she seriously expected the two of them to DO anything too naughty in there, but she didn't want to take chances. She answered the phone automatically, "Commander Katsuragi's office, you are being recorded for security purposes. How may I help you?"

"Hey," Asuka answered warmly, "just checking in. What's this I hear about our classes being tested as Evangelion candidates?"

Himiko smiled slightly, having become friends with the young woman since she and Rei spent so much time seeing Misato. "What the science teams are doing is just recording synchronization tests," Himiko said, "so we can run them through your Unit-02."

"I'll try to keep Aida restrained," Asuka said dryly as she added, "I think he's wanted to be a pilot nearly forever."

"No idea what it's really like?" Himiko guessed.

"Actually, he's known Shinji from the beginning," Asuka admitted. "But he's a military otaku, not to mention into robots so...."

"Well, hopefully he won't qualify," Himiko suggested wryly, the two talking a bit more before Asuka had to go back to class.

Actually, NERV already had the majority of the classes' data from covert testing at the school, but Misato wanted updated test data. There were a number of new students in the rapidly growing city, after all. And Misato also wanted to be more open with the public about what they were doing, unlike under Commander Ikari.

About half an hour after Aoba arrived the woman slipped out of Misato's office, now looking slightly rumpled. Himiko noted with some amusement that her normally neat hair was messy, her lipstick smudged and the buttons of her uniform shirt were done up wrong.

"Ms Kinushima?" Himiko said as she was making her way out.

"Yes?" Aoba looked sheepish.

Deciding to bring up the most obvious thing she pointed, "Your shirt?"

Aoba looked down, blinking as she realized that the buttons were in the wrong holes. Blushing she turned towards the door away from Himiko and quickly undid then redid up her buttons. "Thanks," she said as she headed out.

"You're welcome," Himiko chuckled as she went back to work.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"This is so cool!" Kensuke Aida yelped, the light brown haired boy nearly bouncing up and down as the students lined up for the testing.

Toji Suzuhara shook his head from where he waited by Asuka and Rei. "No, it's not," he said flatly,. "trust me."

Hikaru sighed as she waited behind Aida, her short brown hair flowing around her face. "We aren't going to be dunked in that LCL stuff, are we?" she asked, remembering Toji describing vividly his vomiting up LCL during his Evangelion training.

"Nothing so dramatic," Ritsuko Akagi said, the second in command of NERV's science departments looking rather amused. She had recently stopped dying her hair, so while it was mostly blonde the dark roots were growing in. She smiled comfortingly at Hikari, "We'll be putting connectors similar to the ones Asuka wears to get a reading of your neural activity and pathways. That's all."

Aida pouted, "But I wanted to get dunked in LCL."

"Want us to throw you in the pool instead?" Asuka offered wryly.

"It's not the same," Aida shrugged.

Rei was looking up at Toji, her red eyes faintly curious. "Mr. Suzuhara," she asked, "why did you refuse to undergo testing again?"

"I think I've given enough to NERV already," Toji shrugged, gently tapping his artificial leg with his cane. He had refused the teacher's polite request to get in line, and eventually the principal had been called in. Surprisingly when Ritsuko found out what the fuss was about she had backed Toji, getting the school officials off his back.

"Besides," Asuka added, "it should be his choice about being tested." Under her breath she added, "No way do I want to be fighting beside a draftee."

Aida's turn came, and he was nearly quivering with excitement as he was put in the chair by the portable diagnostic equipment. The clips were each carefully wiped down with a disinfectant then attached to his head, Ritsuko monitoring the readings on a nearby terminal. She studied the readings for a moment, then she made a face.

"Please try to calm down," Ritsuko told him severely, "if you're too excited, I can't record a good baseline reading." She smiled wryly, "Try taking a few deep, slow breaths." Eventually he calmed enough for her to get a reading, then the procedure repeated with each student.

Hikari finished her teasing, then joined her friends. "Wearing those clips was odd," she admitted as she rubbed her temples, "it felt like something was tickling my brain."

Having the most experience Asuka answered, "You get used to it, after awhile."

"It's worse in a plugsuit," Toji said dryly as he remembered, "it's like your nervous system gets plugged right into the Evangelion."

Aida was looking at them thoughtfully, "And you're telling me it's not cool?"

"No, it is not," Rei answered calmly as she looked him in the eye. "Asuka was blinded and has significant scarring, Toji lost his leg and also bears scars, and I," she hesitated over how to put it, "have suffered substantial neural changes."

"Not to mention Shinji's nervous breakdown," Toji tossed that in.

"Huh," Aida seemed somewhat subdued as he processed that.

Asuka and Rei moved off a bit, standing close together. "I didn't expect to hear that, coming from you," Asuka admitted.

"I pilot the Evangelion willingly," Rei answered quietly, "but I do not want a pilot fighting beside me who does not grasp the risks we take."

"Me, too," Asuka agreed, reaching out and gently squeezing her hand.

As the number of students wound down and she determined her helpers had things well in hand, Ritsuko walked over to where the group of five teens stood. "Mr. Suzuhara, it's been awhile," Ritsuko said just a bit nervously, stuffing her hands in her lab-coat. .

"Yeah, I think you visited once when I was in the hospital," Toji answered flatly, his expression somewhat antagonistic.

Meeting his eyes Ritsuko said, "I know Misato has apologized on behalf of NERV, but I feel I owe you a personal apology as well. I could have and probably should have opposed you being pressured to be a pilot, and I'm deeply sorry. My only excuse was I was too blinded by Gendo Ikari to do the right thing."

"Like I told Misato, I may not forgive you guys, but I'm willing to put it behind us," Toji answered. He stepped close to her as he added, "But if your gang of crazies hurts any of my friends, I'll kick your asses."

"Toji!" Hikari protested.

Ritsuko, surprisingly, smiled as she answered, "Fair enough."

"It's a really bad idea threatening NERV, you know," Aida said nervously as she walked away. "People used to disappear after doing that!"

"Misato wouldn't do that," Toji shrugged.

"No, she'd just shoot you," Rei offered mildly, her tone of voice not indicating if she was joking about it or not.

"Or worse,." Asuka agreed, remembering with a faint shudder the recordings of Misato's last stand in the Geofront when the JSSDF forces attacked. After seeing that she would never take the woman quite so lightly again.

"Seriously?" Toji blinked.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Asuka shrugged.

To be continued....

Notes: I haven't mentioned Misato's badassery in End of Evangelion earlier, so I wanted to work it in somewhere. I also wanted Rits to apologize go Toji, too, since she was directly involved with him getting hurt. This was also going to be a entirely Himiko focused chapter, but I figured I should split it with the school bit.


	45. Endgame & Notes

Third Genesis: Endgame

Misato moaned in pain as she came awake, leaning against the control panel as alarms wailed through the underground complex that was NERV. Something had tripped every alarm, and the staff had fled the structure and raced up into Megatokyo, even as Misato went to the command center to find out what was wrong.

"I see you're coming to," the calm voice said, "I was worried I had injured you when I knocked you out."

Misato turned herself over, blinking as she tried to clear cobwebs from her brain. "Yui?" she asked, looking in confusion at the woman trapped in a boy's body.

Yui Ikari had a gun in her hand that she held with a eerie calm, her gaze oddly kind as she said, "I'm sorry I had to strike you, but I needed your fingerprints to clear some security lock-outs."

Misato made herself stand, shaking off her dizziness as she grimly demanded, "What are you doing, Yui?"

"I'm removing my life's work from the world," Yui shrugged. She raised her voice, "Magi, is everything in place?"

The artificial voice of Naoko Akagi answered calmly, "The bombs are prepared, as are the bioweapon modules. Detonation in twenty minutes."

"Come on," Yui gestured for Misato to go to the elevators, "it's time for you to go."

Misato pushed herself away from the terminals, a splitting headache making thoughts hard to assemble. "Damn it, are you destroying NERV?" she demanded as they walked.

"Yes," Yui answered as she walked her to the lift on gun point, "my work has only caused death and destruction, Misato. It's time to end it."

Misato looked back at her compassionately, "You're not at fault for what happened to Shinji or that mad girl, Nao Rokubungi."

"If not me, than who?" Yui answered as she waved Misato into the elevator. Calmly she added, "And don't try to jump me, Misato. I really don't want to shoot you."

Misato met her eyes and realized she was dead serious. "Please don't do this," she said gently as she went inside the elevator.

"Goodbye," Yui said simply, closing the doors with a press of a button.

Yui Ikari walked back to the command center of NERV, the building surprisingly quiet without all the staff that kept things running. As she settled into the seat, the magi spoke up again. "I can still get you out before detonation, Yui," Naoko said quietly, "you don't have to die here."

"Yes I do," Yui answered quietly, "at least if I want it all to end. I know too much." She smiled sadly, "Even without samples of a Angelic life form I could probably recreate a Evangelion, or something very like it. No, if I want this to end I have to go with it."

"I don't want you to die, Yui," Naoko said sadly.

"Me, too," Yui admitted then she reached out to pat the control panel, "but at least I'm going out in good company."

"Is the self destruct still off the table?" Naoko asked after a moment.

"It's too strong," Yui agreed, "too many people on the surface would die."

"Then I'll initiate a full purge of the Magi after the bombs seal off NERV and the bio-weapon deploys," Naoko said calmly, "even if they regain access eventually, they won't get any useful data."

Yui touched the control's again gently, "Thank you, and I'm sorry I have to ask you to do this."

"We both agreed this can't continue," Naoko agreed. She paused then noted quietly, "Fifteen minutes to detonation."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

As the elevator raced to the surface Misato tried her phone, noting with some relief it was working. Dialing fast she listened to it ring, then as it was answered barked, "Ritsuko?"

Ritsuko gasped softly in relief as she said, "Thank goodness, I thought you were..."

"I'm on the express elevator out of NERV now," Misato said quietly, fighting off a surge of dizziness. "Did everyone make it out?" she demanded.

"The only unaccounted are you and Yui," Ritsuko answered quietly, "did you see her?"

Misato puffed out a sigh of relief, then shook her head as she felt a wave of pain from the back of her head. "It was Yui that triggered the alarms and the evacuation," she said after a moment, "she's plotting to destroy NERV."

"WHAT?" Ritsuko yelped.

"Can you get access to the Magi out there?" Misato asked as she leaned weakly against the side of the elevator, "We need to know what's going on..."

Upstairs in one of the evacuation gathering places Ritsuko and Maya Ibuki exchanged looks then Ritsuko answered, "Misato, I don't even have my laptop. Without some fairly sophisticated equipment I can't..."

Misato thumped her hand against the door as the elevator came to a stop, "Damn it."

The doors opened as Misato emerged in a area not far from Ritsuko and the others, and several NERV staff hurried to help her. "Ma'am, you're bleeding!" the young woman yelped at seeing the blood on Misato's head.

"Wondered why I had a headache," Misato muttered as she was bodily carried off, hurrying to a nurse treating minor injuries.

"Damn it. Boss!" Himiko yelped as they hauled Misato into the improvised command tent, "what happened?" The white haired secretary looked her over anxiously as she asked, "Are you all right?"

"I have a headache," Misato winced, "volume down, please."

Aoba Kinushima looked at her lover in alarm as the nurse looked Misato over. "Who did this?" Aoba asked flatly as the boyish brown haired woman clenched her fist, "I'll..."

"Yui," Misato answered. She looked over at Ritsuko and Maya, "Any luck?"

"No," Ritsuko admitted, "all I've been able to do is get a communications link open to the base, and Yui isn't answering."

As a nurse cleaned up the blood on the back of her head Misato asked Yui, "You can still get out, can't you? Please, Yui..."

"It's too late, now," Yui answered serenely, "there's less than five minutes."

"What are you doing, exactly?" Ritsuko pressed, knowing that someone had to ask.

"Well done," Yui murmured approvingly. "I'm using several bombs to seal off NERV," she said conversationally, "and detonating several medium duration bioweapons. They'll trigger the auto-seals, preventing any access for at least twenty years."

Maya Ibuki stood by her lover Ritsuko, the brown haired woman frowning. "That won't destroy the Evangelions or Archangel," she noted.

"I've taken steps to deal with those too," Yui said, "a tailored, flesh eating pathogen. With my death and the destruction of NERV's computers, the era of Evangelion will be over."

"And after twenty years?" Ritsuko asked, frowning.

"The majority of technology will be useless or seriously damaged," Yui answered, "but I would suggest keeping a eye on the facility, just in case."

"We will," Maya offered, looking up at Ritsuko who nodded seriously.

"Yui," the somewhat dazed Misato managed, "please don't. There has to be another way."

"Not for me," Yui said. Sadly she added, "When Rei and Asuka get out of the hospital, tell them... tell them I'm sorry, and I wish things could have been different."

"What about Shinji, Yui? You're condeming him to being in Unit-01 forever," Ritsuko asked.

Yui hesitated a moment then said regretfully, "He's practically immortal and will have the chance to explore the universe in a way no one else ever will. I hope someday he'll forgive me."

"Yui...," Aoba started quietly.

"Goodbye," Yui said and broke the connection.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Yui heard the explosions, listening as the bombs began to detonate in sequence in NERV, cutting off critical systems and closing off access tunnels. She clambered up over the terminals, looking down at the Magi computers down bellow.

"Copying my jump?" Naoko asked after a moment.

"The flesh eating bacteria will hit humans, too," Yui answered as the lab coat fluttered around her, "I don't want to experience that."

"I understand," Naoko said quietly. After a moment the computer added, "It was a honor working with you."

"You too," Yui said, letting go and allowing herself to drop.

There was a wet thud, then Naoko Akagi was alone in NERV. She felt a flash of regret at what she was about to do, but was comforted in knowing the staff of NERV would survive. As each segment of the Magi was erased she felt like a piece of her soul was fading away, then the final computer began to go...

"Yui?" Naoko blinked as a shining figure descended towards her.

"Not exactly," she smiled, "it's time to go."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Over the next few days the city fought to recover, both from the damage that Nao Rokubungi's suicide attack had done, as well as assessing what Yui had accomplished. The best technicians of NERV soon determined that their base was sealed tighter than a drum, and there seemed no possibility that the biological weapons could escape. NERV headquarters was sealed away for the near future, but the city would continue to thrive.

"So what now?" Asuka Soryu Langley asked as she sat up in her hospital bed, the redhead once more swathed in bandages.

"NERV has been officially shut down," Misato told her, "there will be a investigation, too. A lot of finger pointing etc etc, but I think we'll make it through all right."

Rei Ayanami sat by Asuka and took her hand, the pale girl frowning. "So the fighting is over?" she asked curiously.

"Yes," Misato smiled at her gently, adding mentally, 'for now at least. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?'

"Maybe we can take some time for ourselves," Asuka said, smiling slightly at Rei.

Rei squeezed her hand and smiled back, "I'd like that."

End

Notes: This is a 'flash forward' to Chapter 50, more or less. Since I decided to rewrite this fic I thought the readers deserved to see the planned ending. This also sets up plot points for my fanfic Bubblegum Crisis 2055: Megatokyo Burning which is a sequel to this fic.

My plot for the inbetween episodes was pretty simple: Hikaru starts training to use Unit-02, but before she can be certified the attack on Nao Rokubungi's base happens. NERV discovers that she launched her Unit-14 early, and that it & a stolen Evangelion carrier are on their way to NERV HQ. Hikari holds it off long enough for Archangel and Unit-0 to return, and a knock down brawl erupts. Nao and Mana attempt to detonate a N2 mine to kill themselves and the other Evangelions, but the combined AT fields of Unit-o, 2 and the Archangel stop her.

But in the chaos Yui Ikari decides enough is enough.

The rewrite I'm planing has the catchy title of 'Rebuild of Third Genesis' because hey, why not rip off the best? ^_~ About a third of the original chapters will be migrating over, more or less. I'll give more info as I get closer to releasing it...


End file.
